Text and hypertext

Text and hypertext are media that are used for communicating ideas, knowledge, and procedures by using written words.

Text is one of the oldest forms of media. Writing has allowed for information to be shared, stored, and used across distance, time, and context. Writing and reading in a given language is considered the basic form of literacy that is taught to young people at early ages.

Documents, print, and paper media are all useful for communicating ideas and demonstrating knowledge. These modes are one of the most common methods for performing activities in educational contexts, such as completing written assignments and having online social conversations among participants and teachers.

Hypertext is a more modern invention compared to the history of writing. Coming to use primarily around the start of the commercial internet in the late 1990s, hypertext connects documents contextually through links in the text. A person can activate a link to be taken to another section of relevant text to what they were previously reading (such as clicking on or tapping a link).

This wiki uses hypertext, as links appear within the body of the text of each article. A person can read the text of this wiki article, for instance. Inside the article's text are links that can deliver the reader additional relevant content if they desire.

Hypertext is therefore a media that allows for more relevant reading and information use, which is based entirely on the individual reader and the types of information that they desire.

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