‘Hypertext’ was coined by Ted Nelson in the 1960’s at a conference for the association for computer machinery. It is text which has links within it which, if clicked on, gives the user the ability to jump from the current webpage to another. Hypertext links are central to both navigation between webpage’s and the formation of the pages themselves.
Hypertext is seen as a key aspect of the World Wide Web, the main impact being that it takes a non-linear form which in turn makes information open ended. Its easy to expand your knowledge with hyperlinks as you can navigate away from the page, read the information there, then click back to the original page which a new piece of knowledge which correlates to the original topic.
Livingstone suggests that as hypertext takes you to many different places, you may need a new type of literacy to help understand it. Reading a book means the information presented to you in that book is what you’re getting, no new knowledge will suddenly appear. Providing you know how to read, you have the literacy required to read the book. When browsing the web, you can read one webpage then decide to go to another to read or do something else, however a literacy to use the WWW may be necessary to help understand it.
I find that this is true, as many people new to using the internet find it hard to understand therefore it can be suggested that there is a literacy required for browsing the web.
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With online books becoming more common (even on the Nintendo DS!) do you think this form of literacy will ever replace the traditional 'old' media form of reading printed text?
ReplyDeleteDo you find that the popularity of the Internet is a success due to hyperlinks?
ReplyDeleteOr would the Internet still be popular nevertheless?
Do you agree new media literacy is needed as Livingston suggests?
Online / electronical books are becomming more common, but I can't see them ever fully replacing printed text. Books are valued to many people, so although I imagine electronical versions to becomemore popular, I dont think they will take over. Then again, i suppose you can never say never!
ReplyDeleteI think that hyperlinks are definatley a key factor to the internets popularity, and although I do think it would still be hugely popular phenomenon without them, they are what makes the internet a non-linear source which is what makes it so different and interesting.
I do agree, to a cerain extent, that new media literacy is needed as before you can use the internet sucessfully, it can be confusing and hard to deal with. You can't send an email wihtout knowing how to do it, nor use a chatroom or mobile phone! Although the literacy you need isn't on the level of learning how to read, for example, you still need 'computer literacy'.