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The following essay is presented as hypertext instead of a linear printed page for several reasons. The first is because it is possible. That is not to be taken as flippantly as it might first appear. It is just that until recently, writing in hypertext was not such an easy or viable option. But now that it is, I would like to attempt to make use of its strengths to present information that does not always follow neat orderly paths. You might argue that the real problem is with me. If I were a better thinker and writer, I could present the material in an orderly, linear fashion. And you, the reader, could digest it in the same linear, orderly way. And maybe you're right. But perhaps there is something about the process of writing and presenting information in a linear way that is against our nature, that is unlike the way the human mind functions, and by removing this artificial step in the process we will enhance the communication process.
Another reason to use hypertext is that media determinism would argue that the new media will exert some influence over the communication process and over the communicating parties. Is linked text on a computer screen different than unlinked text on a printed page? And if so, how and to what effect? Does the medium become the message? It has been said that hypertext navigation is a world apart from anything we've experienced in our linear, printed-page past. I invite you to give it a chance and decide for yourself.
One last thought. According to Michael Heim's The Metaphysics of Virtual Reality (1993), "in Psychology, medicine, and social sciences, hyper means agitated or pathological" (p. 40). My hope for you, the reader, is that reading this work in hypertext will make you neither agitated nor pathological. Instead, my hope is that you will find a new way of exploring ideas, and of combining one thought with another, and new ways of interacting with the material.
I've included a few links to documents which reside outside of this one somewhere in the vast matrix we call the Web. You will recognize these links because they will include the URL (Uniform Resource Locator). They will look something like the one following:
For an interesting article which addresses the issue of hypertext, see As We May Think available at URL: http://www.csi.uottawa.ca/~dduchier/misc/vbush/awmt.html.
It is interesting to note that the article was written in 1945.
(Note: if you're short of time, read only sections 6 and 7).
If you should chose to follow such a link, please use the "BACK" button when you wish to return to this document. Happy trails.
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