Energetic writing

Filed under: Networked Media — erincollins at 12:45 am on Thursday, August 22, 2013

If you’re like me, then while everyone was talking about hypertext over the last few years you were envisaging someone writing super fast. This, is not the case. I know, stop applauding. I am ahead of the times and have the easy to understand definition to the phenomenon that is hypertext, taking the web by storm. See what I did there?

George Landow does this in a lengthy, philosophical extract from Hypertext 3.0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization, if you have a spare half hour I suggest you read it. But for the rest of you, living a fast paced life scanning this on the train on the way to an important meaning about hypertext, desperately trying to find out what it means to impress your boss (your boss needs to raise his/her standards if that will impress them), then read on because I have the definition here.

My impression of hypertext is less sophisticated than Landow’s. The best way I can describe it is through images, perhaps because I learn visually, or maybe I just like to flaunt my skillz.

First of all, the realm in which hypertext is most abundant, is in wikipedia. Let me show you –

Delicious

See how there are blue words in amongst all of the talk about Hamburgers? These are hypertext links. Hypertext is the way in which we can jump from a topic to other relevant information through a shortcut, or using an efficient route. Vannevar Bush, an influential engineer and innovative thinker alike, came up with this concept in the 1940s, yet the technology didn’t yet exist for him to create a successful example of hypertext. Now, as we have excelled in technology and are on our way to ruining social stature through social media, we can create his dream while discussing hamburgers.

Essentially, hypertext is a network of relatable information and text, so that it is easily and efficiently accessed to allow ultimate information consumption.

It is almost lunchtime, which is why my words are mostly food related.



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