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]
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[edit]
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (March 2022) |
Roles in human communication[edit]
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, emails, etc.
- A nonverbal message is communicated through actions or behaviors rather than words, such as conscious or unconscious body language.
The phrase "send a message" or "sending a message" is also used for actions taken by a party to convey that party's attitude towards a certain thing. For example, a government that executes people who commit acts of treason is sending a message that treason will not be tolerated.[2] Conversely, a party that appears through its actions to endorse something that it opposes can be said to be "sending the wrong message",[2] while one which appears to simultaneously endorse contradictory things can be said to be sending "mixed messages".[3]
In computer science[edit]
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 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 communicates, 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[edit]
Safety and privacy concerns have been expressed in the computer science industry regarding messages. There have been cases where instant messaging apps were found to present a risk of spyware infection.[4] Text messaging is one of the larger causes of distracted driving, and the act of texting and driving has been made illegal in many states as a result.[5]
See also[edit]
- 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
- 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 that 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[edit]
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (November 2019) |
- ^ Carney, Dan (2009-04-08). "Dashboards meet the 21st century". msnbc.com. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ a b "Send a message definition". Cambridge English Dictionary. Retrieved September 24, 2023.
- ^ Marie, A. (November 8, 2022). "A Mixed Message is THE Message". Medium.
- ^ Sunku, Durgaprasad (2019-11-01). "Hyderabad: WhatsApp is vulnerable to spyware attacks". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 2019-11-05.
- ^ "Distracted Driving | NHTSA". www.nhtsa.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-09.
External links[edit]
Media related to Messages at Wikimedia Commons
The dictionary definition of message at Wiktionary
Quotations related to Message at Wikiquote
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