In plain English
It tells whether a person is online now or was online a short time ago. In social media, it describes recent or current presence, not a permanent profile state.
In context
Here, active status denotes the user's shown presence state of being online now or having been online recently.
- Situation
- Using messages, follows, connections, groups, communities, and interaction controls
- What it communicates
- Names the presence setting or indicator for showing recent or current activity.
Meaning limits
By itself, the term does not say how recently the person was online or whether they are available to respond.
Examples
“After midnight, her active status returned, signaling recent online activity but not a willingness to chat.”
“During the reunion chat, Leo's active status stayed visible even after he set his phone down.”