This week’s Symposium focused on ‘Introduction to Hypertext Theory’.

Esther told, “The readings reinforced the nature that they are networked documents. You can go around in circles and come back to the same place”.

Similarly to Esther’s observation, George Ladow’s reading titled, ‘Critical Theory and New Media in an Era of Globalization’ told “Linearity, however, now becomes a quality of the individual reader’s experience within a single lexia and his or her experience following a path, even if that path curves back on itself or heads in strange directions”.

Elliot argued that when writing online narratives, “You are writing as part of a discourse”.  I considered this to perhaps ascertain a recognizable dialog in the blogging process and with it, its capabilities and simplicities. Additionally, Elliot voiced, “It’s a collaborative process in creating discourse”. Elliot’s observation on the subject matter as well as researched text allowed me to consider Landow’s acknowledgement that readers can now become readers and authors.

Further on in the symposium, members of the group discussed the reader’s behavior in relation to hypertext narrative.

“Writing becomes second nature and it’s something that’s ingrained in our lives. We aren’t conscious that I’m writing now and this is a technological skill. Writing becomes native to you”, expressed Esther.

Although the panel were referring to a technological reading by David Bolter, I made a connection with a concept Landow proposed in his reading. Landow suggested that traditional writing and reading methods aren’t closed and allow for the reader to grasp multiple endings or modes of closure – often dependent on what the reader takes in from the narrative’s finally.