Communication Software (Edexcel IGCSE ICT)

Communication Software

What is communication software?

• Communication software is software that provides remote access to systems

• To exchange files and messages in text, images, audio and/or video formats between different computes or users

• Common examples of communication software include:

  • Web browsers

  • Email

  • Social media

  • SMS/MMS

  • Instant messaging

Web browsers

• A web browser is a piece of software used to access and display information on the internet

• The purpose of a web browser is to render hypertext markup language (HTML) and display web pages

• Web browsers interpret the code in HTML documents and translate it into a visual display for the user

Email

• Email is a method of exchanging messages and files over the internet

• The main uses of email are:

  • Personal communication

  • Professional correspondence

  • Marketing

• Companies provide guidelines about acceptable use of emails

• Guidelines about emails from a company include:

  • Purpose of the email

  • Using acceptable language

  • Email security, including anti-virus software

Social media

• Social media is a platform where users can connect with others and share content

• They include platforms such as

  • Facebook

  • Tiktok

  • X (Twitter)

  • Instagram

  • LinkedIn

• Social media platforms usually require users to create a profile and allow them to share text, images, videos, and links

• They facilitate interaction, collaboration, and information sharing on a large scale

• Privacy settings allow users to control who can see their content

SMS/MMS

• Short messaging service (SMS) and multimedia messages service (MMS) are a method of communication using a mobile phone network

• SMS allows 160 text characters per message

• MMS allows more than 160 characters and can include video, animations, images and audio

• No internet connection is required

Instant messaging

• Instant messaging requires an internet connection to allow multimedia communication between single and groups of users

• Includes extra features such as:

  • See when users are typing (online/offline status)

  • Include location data