A "bit" is the most basic unit of information in computing and digital communications. It can represent a value of either 0 or 1, which corresponds to the binary number system. Bits are the building blocks of all digital data, including text, images, and videos, as they are combined in various ways to create more complex information. In computing, bits are often grouped together to form larger units, such as bytes, which consist of 8 bits. This grouping allows for the representation of a wider range of values, such as characters in the ASCII encoding system. Understanding bits is essential for grasping how computers process and store information.