Chapter 3- Hypertext response

The book has taken on a new form that comes in the shape of a never-ending browser. There are no longer pages that you can flip, smell, or even look to see how much you have left. Instead, you are scrolling, typing, and clicking. You are exploring the internet. A vast world full of information that keeps on loading. Unlike a book, there is no ending to this digital story. It’s your job as a user to continue the story, and you can do this through the use of something as handy as a hyperlink.

After reading or even while reading an article online, hypertexts give the reader a chance to delve even further into the topic of interest. There is no limit in regards to how far your research can expand. As stated in the text, “Unlike the pages of a book, which unfold in a linear sequence, hypertext can be organized in a variety of different ways.” If you find yourself reading an article about staying healthy, soon enough, you may find yourself reading a totally separate article about the effects of alcohol on the body. Stories are now given the infinite possibility to connect. When conducting research by using a book, more often than not, a reader will have to flip through several books in order to obtain all the information they need. Whereas with the internet, hypertext allows for an instantaneous and bountiful collection of information. 

When a book is all said and done, it’s likely that a reader may share their thoughts about it with a friend or family member. Never in their wildest dreams would they imagine that they could directly interact with the author. The internet provides both writers and readers with the opportunity to engage with each other on a completely different level. The reader is given an active role for participation while they are reading. Instead of only taking information in to store in the back of your mind, a reader is allowed to share these thoughts with the author. This kind of interaction allows for writer improvement by gaining feedback from their audience. It’s all about a certain kind of connection that had never been accessible during the digital age.

Intelligence-wise, hypertext may very well be making us stupider. However, it also may be expanding our minds in a completely different way. As a result of new learning and research opportunities, the reader is no longer limited to the traditional practices of a book that ends at page 205. Although much quality information can be obtained in this matter, the internet, and hypertext in particular, is a way of expanding upon that basic research model. Hypertext is molding our minds in a way that has never been done before.