Hypertext is a system of non-linear text and media connected by links, allowing readers and machines to traverse knowledge through associations.
Hypertext is a foundational concept for the web, digital archives, knowledge graphs, digital gardens, public notes and Electronic Artefacts knowledge publishing.
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Definition
Hypertext is text and media organized through links rather than only sequence. It lets a reader move by association, reference, citation, concept, source or curiosity.
Scope
The concept includes linked documents, web pages, wikis, digital gardens, archive interfaces, annotation systems and semantic pages. It becomes especially important when a site is designed for exploration rather than chronological consumption.
Applications
Electronic Artefacts uses hypertext as the public surface of its knowledge graph. Every article, concept and project page should help readers move into adjacent questions.
Limitations
Links can also create noise. Hypertext requires editorial discipline: clear anchors, stable URLs, context around links and periodic pruning.
References
See Vannevar Bush, Douglas Engelbart, URI design, Linked Data and Knowledge Graph.