Isn’t text just simply words?

Well…. this is what I would have initially answered had you asked me prior to the start of my Masters program. I currently see text as characters, symbols or letters strategically arranged to transmit information. In a way, they are encoded so that the audience or reader may make meaning by decoding the characters, symbols or letters providing there is understanding of such (ie. different languages and characters used). With this being said, with the increasing use of the term media literacy and the continual evolution of technologies, will the term text simply be folded into “media literacy” as there appears to be a greater push in various forms of literacy representation as compared to the simple reading and writing? In other words, can text currently be represented beyond simply what is written (what we are accustomed to)?