HypermediaFirst there was hypertext, text that contains links to other text, which pushed the definition of text beyond a linear concept. Then there was hypermedia, which is a superset of hypertext. While hypertext lets you click on "hot" text to go to another site, hypermedia can link through a variety of objects, including graphics, sounds, images, and movies. Anytime you click on an icon, a picture, or a symbol on the Web, you're using hypermedia. Web browsers are the first foray into a truly hypermedia presentation of the Net.
One of the most interesting aspects of hypermedia is the fact that it allows the viewer to become actively involved in the presentation of the medium (the process called interactivity). By offering the individual a form of control over content, hypermedia represents a radical point of departure in the way information is presented and processed. As the viewer, hypermedia offers you choices about what you would like your interaction with the medium to be; you can create a highly personalized frame of reference. Consequently, a hundred people viewing the same hypermedia-loaded Web site may surf through it in a hundred different ways.
Here are some examples of how hypermedia is used:
You're reading a Web page on Johann Sebastian Bach. Clicking on a small picture of Bach blows up his portrait to fill your screen. Clicking on an icon of a musical note plays the opening measures of his Coffee Cantata.
You come across a page on learning Portuguese. When you click on a sentence written in Portuguese, you hear the sentence read.
You're reading a Web page about a new movie. When you click on a still from the movie, a short video and audio clip goes into action across your screen.
You find a Web page about an urban design firm that contains a floor plan of the firm's offices. When you click on an individual office, you see the resume of the individual in that office, as well as sketches of her most recent designs.
Hypermedia is clearly a very hot area of development, one that will continue to expand rapidly. Recent releases of word processing software exemplify an application that has expanded its use of hypermedia. Tools and functions that were once represented only by text in word processing applications are now accessible through graphics as well, and the incorporation of audio, although not yet widespread, will continue to grow. The introduction of hypermedia into traditional education will also garner more attention in upcoming years.
The question of how the individual approaches hypermedia raises provocative issues at several levels. Market researchers stand to profit greatly from understanding which links people will choose to pursue. If they can deduce what lures people into clicking on an advertisement, they can refine their consumer demographic, which will lead to more efficient and effective marketing. The information generated by interactive hypermedia is an extremely valuable commercial resource. The Web possesses the capacity to be eerily helpful in this realm, since it has the ability to capture information such as how many times a Web page is accessed, how many times an ad on a page is investigated, what type of browser the surfer is using, and even what type of computer is being used.
People interested in the workings of the mind also stand to profit from study of interactivity. The last several decades have brought a massive increase in the amount of information to which an individual is exposed. However, with traditional forms of mass media, the observer is passive, and can react only to what the creator of the media presents. Hypermedia, however, allows the individual to adopt his or her own frame of reference. In a way, hypermedia gives the individual creative control, since the content can be manipulated according to personal tastes. For a psychologist, information on the choices that are made in an interactive environment could be extremely revealing. The question of whether information presented in a hypermedia context is processed differently by the brain is a fascinating one, and is sure to merit significant future study. Understanding the motivations that form decisions within a hypermedia environment and documenting how an individual processes and reacts to its contents can give great insight into the workings of the mind.
Many philosophers and media critics are fascinated with the effects of hypermedia and interactivity. Marshall McLuhan, Nicholas Negroponte, Michel Foucault, Umberto Eco, and Jean Baudrillard are writers whose themes have touched upon such ideas.
Since the essence of hypermedia is that the user experiences its contents on the basis of his or her unique decisions, the quality of the interface, the form of interaction between the computer and the user, is of primary importance. For that reason, many graphic designers consider the interface to be just as essential a component in their work as a well-crafted piece of animation or a slick graphic. If the interface is visually cluttered, the viewer may become overwhelmed, may not process the information as effectively, or may simply lose interest.