Summary of Chapter 10 of Unspun - Hypertext

Matthew G. Kirshenbaum defines hypertext as “electronic text organized as a nonsequential system of links and destinations.” It represents “a new relationship between thinking man and the sum of knowledge.” Hypertext brings all the information that is on the web together into one large sum. People are able to easily access all of the information through a series of links connected by hypertext. “Hypertext” represents the “H” in HTML which has become a highly widespread term. Hypertext has many different meanings since it deals with both text and technology. It is hard to see the dividing line between the two since they have become so entwined with one another. In fact, the web is “the most complex hypertext system in existence.”

The origin of HTML is traced back to 1990 when physicist Tim Berners-Lee imagined it as a way for scientists to communicate and share research. In 1987 the Association for Computing Machinery held its first conference on hypertext and Apple introduced the HyperCard. Also in the same year, the first “hypertext novel” was circulated on a floppy disk. The word hypertext was created in 1965 and the idea can be dated as far back as 1945. It is hard to decide whether or not “hypertext” must exist strictly online and inside of a computer or not.

There is also some discussion about the comparison between hypertext and footnotes, however, they are very different. There are many different kinds of hypertext. The most common takes the reader to another webpage once they click on a hypertext word. There is also “one-to-many” linking which takes the user to many different pages of information by clicking on just one link. Also, footnotes are confined to the physical world of books. In order to gain additional information, the reader must physically search for it. Hypertext usage requires new ways of thinking critically about reading, writing, and the structure of texts.