This week’s reading was George Landow’s ‘Hypertext 3.0: Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization’.
It was very long I must admit and covered quite a few different areas. So for this post I’ll look at one and then mayyyybe I’ll do a RR # 5.1 tomorrow? Hypertext in general, still sort of confuses me. I’m not sure if thats because its really complicated or I just think its more complicated than it actually is.
One section of the reading talked about blogs. I thought it was interesting how he described blog posts as dated segments of the authors thoughts. I never really thought about the fact that blogs are presented in reverse chronological order. Which is probably a good thing because I tend to look back at things I have written a few months later and cringe. He also pointed out how hypertext allows us to link chronologically different entries together to avoid re-explaining a story or providing context. I actually use this a lot to say things like “….. like i have said previously” and then provide a link back to a post I’m referring to. Its so much easier than explaining everything twice and boring everyone, including myself.
Earlier in the reading Landow said something about how online we are “writing in the presence of other texts” which can either support or contradict what we are trying to say. This is a bit intimidating as somewhere online there is going to be someone who disagrees with what I have to say. Which actually isn’t a bad thing, but weird to think about.
Lastly I was sort of surprised when it was written that 1/4 of people who start a blog keep them going. I thought that it would have been even less. Maybe it is now in 2014 in comparison to 2006 when the reading was written. So many people I know have started a blog just to see what the fuss was about and then completely forgotten about it. I’m definitley included in that list. Landow said that blogs were once for “highly skilled computer users”, but clearly not anymore. Literally anyone can start a blog.
– Caitlin
Ps. the example given about online bibles (at the beginning of the reading) gave me flashbacks to the compulsory religion lessons in high school. TG for electronic bibles, seriously the real deal are so damn heavy.
