New Formats for Media Hypertext Hypertext is nonsequential writing. It differs from traditional writing in the order of reading, the centrality of the text, and the power of the author. Linearity Traditional writing requires the reader to proceed in a linear way from the first page to the last. Hypertext writing allows the reader to choose the order to follow according to links to other parts of the text or to other texts. Centrality Traditional texts are central to the moment of reading.
Hypertexts link the reader to other texts, reducing the centrality of the hypertext.
Hierarchy Traditional texts establish a hierarchy of knowledge with the author at the top giving information to the reader. Hypertext gives some of the power of the author to the reader, who decides what text to read next. The Internet includes e-mail, discussion groups, and the World Wide Web. The Internet is formed through a series of computer systems, or nodes . Each node contributes memory space and processing capabilities, making the Internet a decentered medium .