THE HYPERTEXT (Mental process)

THE HYPERTEXT

(Mental process)

The Hypertext is a simple non-linear way of presenting information, organising items much as our mind does, in order to make them easier to be learnt.

It is based on:

Links, which allow the reader to 'jump' from one item to the next

Nodes/Cards, which are self-contained units of knowledge, independent of what came before and what comes after

Freedom to navigate, which is the freedom to choose where to begin, where to end and the order in which nodes are to be read

These features make a Hypertext very different from a ordinary text, which forces us to organise information in a way which is not natural. The Hypertext works in an associative way joining pieces of information together, overturning the traditional rhetorical structures of textuality. This characteristic enables us to operate at a higher level of cognitive efficiency, but learners with weak metacognitive skills are severely exposed to a "metacognitive overload" so that they might get lost in the 'Hyperspace'. In order to avoid this 'effect', before starting to surf a Hypertext, we must know exactly what we're looking for; moreover the authors of Hypertexts generally suggest some paths (sequence of nodes) which can help us navigate.

The new computer-based technologies best suit the Hypertext - for example, Internet is the widest and richest Hypertext all over the world and includes billions of nodes, which can be read/viewed when you click on 'hot words'. But the Internet is more than a Hypertext, it is a Hypermedia, because Web es are generally linked to images, charts, even music and videos.

From what I've said it should be clear that the Hypertext is one of the most convenient ways in which you can organise and - in a sense - publish information. I also think that Hypertext is a powerful structure to present information, because of the fact that there is no limit to the allowable connectivity (topology) between nodes.