This weeks symposium focused on questions about the relationship between technology, art and culture, and the potential of hypertext, and whether we will ever be satisfied with it.

1. Can technology progress independently of art and culture?
-There was a debate over this question as the tutor’s shared their different views and opinions. Some said that technology is not separated from culture. That technology comes from artistic and cultural desires. As a species we have always used technology. Everything is technology, culture and art. Art is a technology practice. Art is a technology oasis. There is no art and culture without technology. There is NO separation. However on the other hand, technology has a logic of its own. It can progress independently from art and culture. Like everything there is always two sides to the story.

2.What is the untapped potential of hypertext? Will we ever be satisfied with it?
-Most of this question was targeted at Ted Nelson and his views on Hypertext. To answer this question the tutor’s suggested that the web is huge and the web is everything. Everything is as close as everything else. Media online does not have edges, and if it does not have edges how does it have an ending. This leads onto the notion of hypertext and how it works not only in the past and present, but also the future. From the term technological determinism, does technology shape us or do we shape technology, it shows both sides of the argument to whether or not we will ever be satisfied with hypertext. Will society continue to change because technology does, or is it trying to keep up with the ever-changing dependencies from society?