Interactionats

Interactionats are discrete interaction events used in research and data systems to represent moments when two or more participants exchange information or influence the state of a system. An interactionat is typically time-stamped and accompanied by contextual metadata such as participants, modality, channel, duration, and content type. The concept is intended to serve as a fundamental unit of analysis for studying interactive behavior and system-user dynamics.

In practice, interactionats are extracted from logs, transcripts, or observational coding to enable sequence analysis, network modeling, and pattern discovery. Analysts may examine the frequency and reciprocity of interactionats, their temporal distribution, and their role in larger processes such as collaboration, information diffusion, or user engagement. Interactionats can be aggregated into sessions or episodes and represented as nodes and edges in interaction graphs, where edges encode the occurrence and nature of exchanges.

Characteristics of interactionats include their discreteness, time relevance, and contextual richness. They can be annotated with attributes such as participant roles, modality (text, voice, gesture), platform (web, mobile, in-person), and content category. They are distinct from generic events by emphasizing the interactive and relational aspect of exchanges, rather than mere actions or transactions alone.

Origin and status: The term was proposed in academic discussions in the early 2020s to standardize reporting of exchange moments in multi-party interactions. It remains a specialized concept used primarily in studies of interactive processes and data-rich environments. See also events, episodes, and interaction analysis.