Unlecture #7

The ‘Unlecture’ format, or the symposiums, are finally up and running, and I’ve usually found that there are at least a few key take away ideas in each one for me.

Unlecture #7 again focused on the revolutionary nature of hypertext, and its affect on narrative and authorship, as well as how it can be incorporated in the genre of documentaries.

I really liked the idea of how with hypertext, it is much easier to ‘get started’ with writing. You can start from anywhere, and this will inevitably link in with other ideas and introduce others. Hypertext is much more open to this form of writing then the more traditional means, and also allows this non-linear writing to be the end product if you want. As Adrian showed with his hypertext essay, it doesn’t need to have a traditional ‘essay structure’ of intro-para-para-para-para-conclusion, but instead can be a ‘train of thought’ of type, with links between similar ideas and concepts.

The unlecture also discussed the influence of hypertext on the documentary genre, and how this allows them to become more accessible and more interactive, as all hypertext apparently does.

Adrian again pointed out how ridiculous it is that Wikipedia is so frowned upon as a resource, just because of its interactive, community-based approach. But as he pointed out, many studies have found that it is just as accurate, if not more, than Encyclopaedia Britannica and the like, and the fact that anyone and everyone can contribute to it merely ensures that most of the time someone will get it right. Even when someone does cheekily mess with a page and deliberately uploads false information, it is usually so quickly edited by another user that it’s near impossible to actually see it online.

I think it’s only a matter of time until Wikipedia becomes a valid source that can be referenced in essays and the like, and this will probably coincide with hypertext and similar avenues becoming more commonly utilised in media, as well as outside of it.