Personal message

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Messages sent between users of Facebook Facebook chat screenshot (English).png
Messages sent between users of Facebook

A personal message, private message (PM), direct message (DM), [1] or personal chat (PC) is a private communication channel between users on any given platform. Unlike public posts, PMs are only viewable by the participants. PMs have grown in popularity due to the increasing demand for privacy and collaboration on social media.

Contents

There are two main types of private messages. First, on social media apps like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram where the focus is public posting, PMs allow users to communicate privately without leaving the platform. Second, on messenger apps such as WhatsApp, Kik, and Snapchat, users create accounts primarily to exchange PMs. [2] [3] A third type, peer-to-peer messaging, occurs when users create and own the infrastructure used to transmit and store the messages; while features vary depending on application, they give the user full control over the data they transmit. An example of software that enables this kind of messaging is Classified-ads. [4]

Besides serving as a tool to connect privately with friends and family, PMs have gained momentum in the workplace. Working professionals use PMs to reach coworkers in other spaces and increase efficiency during meetings. Although useful, using PMs in the workplace may blur the boundary between work and private lives. For many, it makes work hours longer and private times shorter. [5] [6] [3] [7]

History

The development of computers sparked the information revolution, which changed the way humans communicate. Peter Drucker published an article centering on the theme that the computer is to the Information Revolution what the railroad was to the Industrial Revolution; railroads unified travel between the east and west coast of the United States, whereas computers unified communication across the entire globe. This revolutionized many different forms of communication, but particularly the personal message.

The first email system able to send mail between people using different host computers was launched via the ARPANET in 1971, and it revolutionized personal messaging by enabling users to send electronic messages to distant recipients. The popularity of email has since skyrocketed, and it continues to be a widely-used means of personal messaging.

The advent of the Internet paved the way for communication through platforms and website portals like Yahoo!, and AOL. Instant messaging systems became popular in the late 1990s, including AOL Instant Messenger, ICQ, MSN Messenger and Yahoo! Messenger. As Internet communication links improved and personal computers became more capable, this functionality was merged into systems that also included voice and video communication, such as Skype (launched in 2003).

In 2008, Facebook announced Facebook Chat, which evolved into Facebook Messenger in 2010 and allows users to message each other via the Facebook site. Twitter followed suit and introduced direct messages to their site in 2013. Today, personal messaging is a staple of established social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter, as well as more recently-developed applications such as Viber and Hike.

Modern forms of personal messaging may include multimedia messages, such as pictures or videos. The messaging app Snapchat allows users to exchange photo and video messages, which can be viewed for 1–10 seconds before they are deleted from Snapchat's servers. [8] [9] [10] [11]

Some common forms of personal messaging include Facebook messaging (sometimes referred to as "inboxing"), Twitter direct messaging, and Instagram direct messaging. These forms of personal messaging provide a private space on a usually public site. For instance, most activity on Twitter is public, but Twitter DMs provide a private space for communication between two users. This differs from mediums like email, texting, and Snapchat, where most or all activity is always private. [12] [2] [13]

Personal messaging has become increasingly popular in the workplace with the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to many businesses allowing employees to work from home. Personal messaging enables distant employees to communicate in real-time as they would in a shared workspace.

Etiquette of personal messaging

There are unsaid, known rules that govern many interactions, but with technology and social media being relatively recent developments, the etiquette can sometimes be difficult to know, learn, or follow. One of the main issues of interactions over technology is that without body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice, conversations can be misunderstood.

Personal messaging etiquette can compensate for the lack of face-to-face conversation by exaggerating, communicating clearly, and not necessarily saying the same things that one may say in a face-to-face interaction that could be construed without body language, facial expressions, or tone of voice.

Privacy Concerns

On Facebook

In January 2014, Matthew Campbell and Michael Hurley filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for breaching the Electronic Communications Privacy Act. [14] They alleged that the information in their supposedly private messages was being read and used to generate profit, specifically "for purposes including but not limited to data mining and user profiling".

In 2012, some Facebook users misinterpreted a redesign of the Facebook wall as publicly sharing private messages from 2008–2009. These were found to be public wall posts from those years, made at a time when it was not possible to like or comment on a wall post, making the notes look like private messages. [15]

Phishing Scams

In a popular phishing scheme, scammers will send emails with the subject-line "private message" which ask the victim to click a link to open the message. The link instead leads to a fake log-in page which asks the victim to enter their email username and password in order to view the "private message". Instead, the information goes straight to the "phishers", allowing them to hijack the email account. [16]

Related Research Articles

AIM (software) Instant messaging service

AIM was an instant messaging and presence computer program created by AOL, which used the proprietary OSCAR instant messaging protocol and the TOC protocol to allow registered users to communicate in real time.

ICQ Instant messaging service

ICQ is a cross-platform messenger and VoIP client. The name ICQ derives from the English phrase "I Seek You". Originally developed by the Israeli company Mirabilis in 1996, the client was bought by AOL in 1998, and then by Mail.Ru Group in 2010.

Instant messaging Form of communication over the Internet

Instant messaging (IM) technology is a type of online chat that offers real-time text transmission over the Internet. A LAN messenger operates in a similar way over a local area network. Short messages are typically transmitted between two parties, when each user chooses to complete a thought and select "send". Some IM applications can use push technology to provide real-time text, which transmits messages character by character, as they are composed. More advanced instant messaging can add file transfer, clickable hyperlinks, Voice over IP, or video chat.

In computer and telecommunications networks, presence information is a status indicator that conveys ability and willingness of a potential communication partner—for example a user—to communicate. A user's client provides presence information via a network connection to a presence service, which is stored in what constitutes his personal availability record and can be made available for distribution to other users to convey his availability for communication. Presence information has wide application in many communication services and is one of the innovations driving the popularity of instant messaging or recent implementations of voice over IP clients.

An Internet bot, web robot, robot or simply bot, is a software application that runs automated tasks (scripts) over the Internet. Typically, bots perform tasks that are simple and repetitive, much faster than a person could. The most extensive use of bots is for web crawling, in which an automated script fetches, analyzes and files information from web servers. More than half of all web traffic is generated by bots.

Facebook American online social networking service

Facebook is an American online social media and social networking service based in Menlo Park, California, and a flagship service of the namesake company Facebook, Inc. It was founded by Mark Zuckerberg, along with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes.

Mobile social network Social networking where individuals with similar interests converse and connect with one another through their mobile phone and/or tablet

Mobile social networking (MSN) is social networking where individuals with similar interests converse and connect with one another through their mobile phone and/or tablet. Much like web-based social networking, mobile social networking occurs in virtual communities.

Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools, enabling companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing, including current and potential customers, current and potential employees, journalists, bloggers, and the general public. On a strategic level, social media marketing includes the management of a marketing campaign, governance, setting the scope and the establishment of a firm's desired social media "culture" and "tone."

Social Etiquette in real life is ingrained into culture, although etiquette in technology, commonly referred to as netiquette, is a fairly recent concept. The rules of etiquette that apply when communicating over the Internet are different from those applied when communicating in person or by audio or videophone. It is a social code that is used in all places where one can interact with other human beings via the Internet, including text messaging, email, online games, Internet forums, chat rooms, and many more.

Instagram Online photo-sharing and social networking service

Instagram is an American photo and video sharing social networking service owned by Facebook, created by Kevin Systrom and Mike Krieger and originally launched on iOS in October 2010. The Android version was released in April 2012, followed by a feature-limited desktop interface in November 2012, a Fire OS app in June 2014, and an app for Windows 10 in October 2016. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can be shared publicly or with pre-approved followers. Users can browse other users' content by tags and locations and view trending content. Users can like photos and follow other users to add their content to a feed, a function that seems to be discontinued as of September 2020.

Since the arrival of early social networking sites in the early 2000s, online social networking platforms have expanded exponentially, with the biggest names in social media in the mid-2010s being Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat. The massive influx of personal information that has become available online and stored in the cloud has put user privacy at the forefront of discussion regarding the database's ability to safely store such personal information. The extent to which users and social media platform administrators can access user profiles has become a new topic of ethical consideration, and the legality, awareness, and boundaries of subsequent privacy violations are critical concerns in advance of the technological age.

Facebook Messenger is an American messaging app and platform developed by Facebook, Inc. Originally developed as Facebook Chat in 2008, the company revamped its messaging service in 2010, and subsequently released standalone iOS and Android apps in August 2011 and standalone Facebook Portal hardware for Messenger-based calling in Q4 2018. Later on, Facebook has launched a dedicated website interface (Messenger.com), and separated the messaging functionality from the main Facebook app, allowing users to use the web interface or download one of the standalone apps. In April 2020, Facebook officially released Messenger for Desktop, which is supported on Windows 10 and macOS and distributed on Microsoft Store and App Store respectively.

Snapchat is an American multimedia messaging app developed by Snap Inc., originally Snapchat Inc. One of the principal features of Snapchat is that pictures and messages are usually only available for a short time before they become inaccessible to their recipients. The app has evolved from originally focusing on person-to-person photo sharing to presently featuring users' "Stories" of 24 hours of chronological content, along with "Discover," letting brands show ad-supported short-form content. It also allows users to keep photos in the "my eyes only" which lets them keep their photos in a password-protected space. It has also reportedly incorporated limited use of end-to-end encryption, with plans to broaden its use in the future.

Secure instant messaging is a form of instant messaging. Both terms refer to an informal means for computer users to exchange messages commonly referred to as "chats". Instant messaging can be compared to texting as opposed to making a mobile phone call. In the case of messaging, it is like the short form of emailing. Secure instant messaging is a specialized form of instant messaging that along with other differences, encrypts and decrypts the contents of the messages such that only the actual users can understand them.

Slack is a proprietary business communication platform developed by American software company Slack Technologies. Slack offers many IRC-style features, including persistent chat rooms (channels) organized by topic, private groups, and direct messaging.

Telegram (software) Cross-platform instant messenging service

Telegram is a freeware, cross-platform, cloud-based instant messaging (IM) software and application service. The service also provides end-to-end encrypted video calling, VoIP, file sharing and several other features. It was initially launched for iOS on 14 August 2013 and Android in October 2013. The application servers of Telegram are distributed worldwide to decrease data load, while the operational center is currently based in Dubai. Various Telegram client apps are available for desktop and mobile platforms including official apps for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS and Linux, as well as for the now-discontinued Windows Phone. There is also an official web interface and numerous unofficial clients that make use of Telegram's protocol. All of Telegram's official apps are open source.

Hike Messenger Instant messaging app

Hike Messenger, also called Hike Sticker Chat, was an Indian freeware, cross-platform instant messaging (IM), Voice over IP (VoIP) application which was launched on 12 December 2012 by Kavin Bharti Mittal and is now owned by Hike Private Limited. Hike can work offline through SMS and has multi-platform support. The app registration uses standard one time password (OTP) based authentication process. With abundance of low-cost data, Hike decided to go from a single super app strategy to multiple app approach, so that it can focus more on the core messaging capabilities. It has numerous Hikemoji Stickers which can be customized accordingly. From version 6, the user-interface was revised and the app no longer supports features like news, mobile payment, games or jokes. As per CB Insights, $1.4 billion is the valuation of Hike with more than 100 million registered users till August 2016 and 350 employees working from Bengaluru and Delhi.

Threema Instant messaging smartphone app

Threema is a paid open-source end-to-end encrypted instant messaging application for iOS and Android.

Messaging apps are apps and platforms that enable instant messaging. Many such apps have developed into broad platforms enabling status updates, chatbots, payments and conversational commerce. They are normally centralised networks run by the servers of the platform's operators, unlike peer-to-peer protocols like XMPP.

Comparison of user features of messaging platforms refers to a comparison of all the various user features of various electronic instant messaging platforms. this includes a wide variety of resources; it includes standalone apps, platforms within websites, computer software, and various internal functions available on specific devices, such as iMessage for iPhones.

References

  1. ↑ "direct message". Cambridge Dictionary. Retrieved 31 March 2018.
  2. 1 2 Posting or deleting direct messages. (n.d.). Twitter Help Center. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from "Twitter - About Direct Messages"
  3. 1 2 "Advantages and disadvantages of an instant messenger". (n.d.). Retrieved from "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-07-28. Retrieved 2014-03-19.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ↑ Catalin Chelariu. 2016, May 31. Classified ads. Retrieved from "Softpedia - Classified Ads"
  5. ↑ Lee, T. 2010, September 30. "Power of the personality message". Retrieved from "NY Times - Reaching and Persuading the Masses"
  6. ↑ "My messages" [Online forum comment]. Retrieved from "WikiSimplemachines.org - Personal Messages"
  7. ↑ Wagner, K. (2013, December 27). "Why social networks are crazy private messaging". Retrieved from Mashable
  8. ↑ Crocker, D. (2012, March 20). "Nowadays the private chats sent through the social medias are encrypted end-to-end so that it appears in a ciphertext form which cannot be easily understood by an unauthorised person". "A history of e-mail: Collaboration, innovation and the birth of a system". The Washington Post.
  9. ↑ Drucker, P. F. (1999, October). Beyond the Information Revolution - 99.10. Retrieved from Theatlantic.com
  10. ↑ The History of Communication. (n.d.). Retrieved from Thoughtco.com
  11. ↑ Honan, M. (2013, December 10). Twitter Makes Its Play for Private Messaging | Gadget Lab | Wired.com.
  12. ↑ Instagram. (n.d.). Blog. Retrieved March 12, 2014, from Instagram
  13. ↑ Sending a Message | Facebook Help Center | Facebook. (n.d.). Retrieved October 25, 2019, from Snapchat. (n.d.). Snapchat. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
  14. ↑ Grove, Jennifer (2014). Facebook Sued for Allegedly Intercepting Private Messages. Mobile World Congress. Retrieved from Cnet.com
  15. ↑ Hamburger, Ellis (2012). Facebook privacy scare illuminates the evolution of online conversations. Retrieved from The Verge
  16. ↑ Christensen, Brett (2012). ‘Private Message’ Phishing and Survey Scam Emails. Retrieved from Hoax Slayer.
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