Siren shapes: exploratory and constructive hypertext

The hypertext of the Web is not the hypertext imagined by Vannevar Bush, Doug Engelbart, or Ted Nelson—as reading these authors makes clear, the Web edition ismuch more limited. Understanding the limitations of the Web’s hypertext is not simply an occasionfor complaint, however. It helps reveal the potential that still lies within the hypertext concept, untapped by mainstream new media. In the following essay, Michael Joyce gave a name to animportant distinction between two types of hypertext environments—those that are “exploratory”and those that are “constructive.” His distinction maps onto significant differences between theenvironment in which we currently experience the Web and the ideas of early hypertext creators,while also usefully describing other areas of new media, helping reveal both limitations and opportunities.

Introduction by Michael Joyce.

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