A system for controlling media playback equipment, the system comprising: one or more hardware processor devices; and storage storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processor devices, cause the one or more hardware processor devices to run a media BOT wherein running the media BOT comprises: intercepting messages (306, 308) communicated among users when participating in a conversation; discriminating between user-to-user messages in the conversation that are directed to the users and user-to-BOT messages in the conversation that are directed to controlling the media playback equipment; determining whether a user-to-BOT message communicated by an individual user during the conversation includes a selection control command, in which the individual user specifies a target media item to be played by the media playback equipment and/or a non-selection control command corresponding to any media control command other than a selection control command; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a selection control command: querying a search engine based at least on the user-to-BOT message communicated by the individual user during the conversation; receiving a query response from the search engine, the query response identifying a media item to be processed with the media playback equipment; and controlling operation of the media playback equipment to process the identified media item based at least on the user-to-BOT message; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a non-selection control command: controlling operation of the media playback equipment based at least on the non-selection control command. one or more hardware processor devices; and storage storing computer-executable instructions which, when executed by the one or more hardware processor devices, cause the one or more hardware processor devices to run a media BOT wherein running the media BOT comprises: intercepting messages (306, 308) communicated among users when participating in a conversation; discriminating between user-to-user messages in the conversation that are directed to the users and user-to-BOT messages in the conversation that are directed to controlling the media playback equipment; determining whether a user-to-BOT message communicated by an individual user during the conversation includes a selection control command, in which the individual user specifies a target media item to be played by the media playback equipment and/or a non-selection control command corresponding to any media control command other than a selection control command; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a selection control command: querying a search engine based at least on the user-to-BOT message communicated by the individual user during the conversation; receiving a query response from the search engine, the query response identifying a media item to be processed with the media playback equipment; and controlling operation of the media playback equipment to process the identified media item based at least on the user-to-BOT message; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a non-selection control command: controlling operation of the media playback equipment based at least on the non-selection control command. intercepting messages (306, 308) communicated among users when participating in a conversation; discriminating between user-to-user messages in the conversation that are directed to the users and user-to-BOT messages in the conversation that are directed to controlling the media playback equipment; determining whether a user-to-BOT message communicated by an individual user during the conversation includes a selection control command, in which the individual user specifies a target media item to be played by the media playback equipment and/or a non-selection control command corresponding to any media control command other than a selection control command; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a selection control command: querying a search engine based at least on the user-to-BOT message communicated by the individual user during the conversation; receiving a query response from the search engine, the query response identifying a media item to be processed with the media playback equipment; and controlling operation of the media playback equipment to process the identified media item based at least on the user-to-BOT message; and querying a search engine based at least on the user-to-BOT message communicated by the individual user during the conversation; receiving a query response from the search engine, the query response identifying a media item to be processed with the media playback equipment; and controlling operation of the media playback equipment to process the identified media item based at least on the user-to-BOT message; and when the user-to-BOT message is determined to contain a non-selection control command: controlling operation of the media playback equipment based at least on the non-selection control command. controlling operation of the media playback equipment based at least on the non-selection control command.