Hypermedia

The term hypermedia, more recently introduced than hypertext, emphasizes integrating textual and nontextual components of hypertext. A hypermedia system integrates images, sound, video, animation, or any combination of those elements into a "single collection or presentation on a computer or any other electronic means" (Vaughan 228).

When a project includes a large amount of text or graphical content, developers can index the content and the elements can then be linked together, to provide the user rapid electronic association and retrieval of information. The hypermedia aspect of the system is what gives the user control in moving from one piece of information to another.

Hypermedia technology gives the user control over the presentation. It is the technology that supports multimedia's interactive format. "Hypermedia give a better idea how to use multimedia resources. Whereas the term multimedia indicates that the variety of modalities of information is big, the term hypermedia implicitly advocates how to access information elements and how to crisscross in information space" (Kommers 6).

The phrase hyper has come to imply that user interaction is a critical part of the design, whether for text browsing or the multimedia project as a whole.

Tay Vaughan