Message

A message is a discrete unit of communication intended by the source for consumption by some recipient or group of recipients. A message may be delivered by various means, including courier, telegraphy, carrier pigeon and electronic bus. A message can be the content of a broadcast. An interactive exchange of messages forms a conversation.[1]

Geheime Korrespondenz (secret correspondence), by Carl von Bergen
A headstone message in the Jerusalem British World War I Cemetery on Mount Scopus

One example of a message is a press release, which may vary from a brief report or statement released by a public agency to commercial publicity material.

History

Roles in human communication

In communication between humans, messages can be verbal or nonverbal:

  • A verbal message is an exchange of information using words. Examples include face-to-face communication, telephone calls, voicemails, email etc.
  • A nonverbal message is communicated through actions or behaviors rather than words, such as by the use of body language.

In computer science

There are two main senses of the word "message" in computing: messages between the human users of computer systems that are delivered by those computer systems, and messages passed between programs or between components of a single program, for their own purposes.

  • Instant messaging and emails are examples of computer software designed for delivering human-readable messages in formatted or unformatted text, from one person to another.
  • Message passing is a form of communication used in concurrent and parallel computing, object-oriented programming, and channel communicate, where communication is made by sending messages to recipients. In a related use of this sense of a message, in object-oriented programming language such as main library ["msg" box]Smalltalk or Java, a message is sent to an object, specifying a request for action.

Safety and privacy concerns

Because computers are automated, and they do not require human interaction to do something, there have been many safety and privacy concerns in many areas of the computer science industry regarding messages. There have been many cases where instant messaging apps were found to be at risk for spyware.[2] These concerns are not just limited to cellphones, laptops, desktops, or devices of the like. Some of these concerns even point towards displays in car dashboards, where these device are as smart as smartphones, however can be prone to attacks and is known that auto manufacturers have little to no regulations to follow when putting these devices in car dashboards.[3] It also has been found by research that car information displays on dashboards can be distracting.[4] Alongside this, text messaging is one of the largest causes of distracted driving, and the act of texting and driving has been made illegal in many states as a result.[5]

See also
  • Airmail – Service which transports mail by air
  • Amateur radio emergency communications – Fallback service
  • Beacon – Device used to attract attention
  • Communications satellite – Artificial satellite that relays radio signals
  • Communication studies – Academic discipline
  • Drums in communication – Drums used for long-distance signalling and communications
  • Email – Mail sent using electronic means
  • Emergency Alert System – Method of emergency broadcasting in the United States and Canada
  • Encryption – Process of converting plaintext to ciphertext
  • Express mail – Accelerated mail delivery service
  • Flag semaphore – System to transmit information by hand
  • Instant messaging – Form of communication over the Internet
  • List of interstellar radio messages
  • Mail – System for transporting documents and other small packages
  • Message in a bottle – Form of communication
  • Network packet – Formatted unit of data carried by a packet-switched network
  • Optical telegraph – Communication along a chain of towers using mechanically operated paddles or shutters
  • Pioneer plaque – Plaques on the Pioneer 10 and 11 space probes with pictorial messages about humanity
  • Pony Express – 1860–1861 mail service in the United States
  • Radio – Technology of using radio waves to carry information
  • Semaphore – Mechanical apparatus used to send messages
  • Semiotics – Study of signs and sign processes
  • Sign language – Language which uses manual communication and body language to convey meaning
  • Smoke signal – Smoke used as a mode of communication
  • SMS – Text messaging service component
  • Telegraphy – Long distance transmission of text
  • Telephony – Field of telecommunication services
  • Television – Telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images
  • Voicemail – Voice message storage and retrieval

References
  1. Carney, Dan (2009-04-08). "Dashboards meet the 21st century". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  2. Sunku, Durgaprasad (2019-11-01). "Hyderabad: WhatsApp is vulnerable to spyware attacks". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  3. "Car dashboards that act like smart phones raise safety issues". Reuters. 2015-07-07. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
  4. DelBel, Antoinette (2019-07-25). "Research shows car dashboard technology is distracting, especially to older drivers". WHAM. Retrieved 2019-11-05.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. "Distracted Driving | NHTSA". www.nhtsa.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
  • Media related to Messages at Wikimedia Commons
  • The dictionary definition of message at Wiktionary
  • Quotations related to Message at Wikiquote

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