Effective Computer-mediated Communication Using Hypertext
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Effective Computer-mediated Communication Using Hypertext:
Introducing Expanding Hypertext—Are They Adventours?
Due to the advent of new communication technologies, modern mass communication
is no longer necessarily constrained by the traditional one-way, asymmetric communication
model. Possibilities now exist to present communication materials that automate
sophisticated interaction with individuals, thus extending their capacity closer to symmetric
communication. Now, it is possible to tailor the format and content of materials based on the
styles and needs of individuals. Tailored communication has the potential to change how we
define the roles of mass media (Lee, 2001). Unlike traditional broadcast media, contemporary
computer software technologies can project interactively tailored content and formats
according to its purposes.
The potentials of these technologies are particularly great for designing effective
communication messages based on individuals’ styles and preferences. Individuals are now
able to work with presented materials in manners that enhance their experience through the
increased availability, filtering, search, and re-organization capabilities of new
communication technologies (Lee & Tedder, 2002). This means we now may be able to
create more effective communication materials based on a system's ability to adapt itself to
each reader's unique characteristics, capacities and preferences (Lee, Ferguson, & Tedder,
1999; Lee & Tedder, 2002). This can be accomplished by means of electronic message
presentation such as hypertext.
Hypertext is a computer-mediated text in which highlighted words or titles serve as
links to other excerpts or modes of supporting information (Lee, et al, 1999). By these means,
individuals can choose their own orders and levels of detail and even modalities of
commun1ication materials by forming their own cohesion and sequence of information.
Convention