Lost in hyperspace (sometimes called Lost in hypertext) refers to a

phenomenon A phenomenon ( : phenomena) is an observable event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which ''cannot'' be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried W ...

disorientation Orientation is a function of the mind involving awareness of three dimensions: time, Location (geography), place and person. Problems with orientation lead to ''dis''orientation, and can be due to various conditions, from delirium to Substance int ...

that a reader can experience when reading

hypertext Hypertext is E-text, text displayed on a computer display or other electronic devices with references (hyperlinks) to other text that the reader can immediately access. Hypertext documents are interconnected by hyperlinks, which are typi ...

documents. This feeling was more prevalent from the 1990s into the early 2000s. Since then internet use has increased dramatically and this sensation has become less of an issue.

Hypertext

If information is spread over web pages that are only linked by

Hyperlink In computing, a hyperlink, or simply a link, is a digital reference to data that the user can follow or be guided by clicking or tapping. A hyperlink points to a whole document or to a specific element within a document. Hypertext is text wit ...

s, and the reader is given the opportunity to jump around within the text, it is possible they may lose track of what they have and have not read. In addition,

online In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" or ...

texts can be altered, so the reader must take into account that texts that have already been read could have been edited, deleted or had information added. This phenomenon can be frustrating for readers who are used to physical texts. They can feel “lost” in the text instead of viewing the freedom of choice as enriching. In addition, links can entice the reader to click on topics that distract them from their original intention - even if the text is linear and can be read from top to bottom. The vulnerability of the reader is also exploited by context-dependent online advertising such as

web banner A web banner or banner ad is a form of advertising on the World Wide Web delivered by an ad server. This form of online advertising entails embedding an advertisement into a web page. It is intended to attract traffic to a website by linking ...

s and pop-ups.

Workarounds

Mechanisms that are already used for print media have been used in hypertext media to aid in the transition from physical texts, these include a

table of contents A table of contents, usually headed simply Contents and abbreviated informally as TOC, is a list, usually found on a page before the start of a written work, of its chapter or section titles or brief descriptions with their commencing page number ...

index Index (or its plural form indices) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * Index (''A Certain Magical Index''), a character in the light novel series ''A Certain Magical Index'' * The Index, an item on a Halo megastru ...

glossary A glossary (from grc, γλῶσσα, ''glossa''; language, speech, wording) also known as a vocabulary or clavis, is an alphabetical list of Term (language), terms in a particular domain of knowledge with the definitions for those terms. Tradi ...

, as well as

footnotes A note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at the end of a chapter, volume, or the whole text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or citations of a reference work in support of th ...

endnotes A note is a string of text placed at the bottom of a page in a book or document or at the end of a chapter, volume, or the whole text. The note can provide an author's comments on the main text or citations of a reference work in support of the ...

. Hypertext systems have their own navigation mechanisms, for example the forward and back

button A button is a fastener that joins two pieces of fabric together by slipping through a loop or by sliding through a buttonhole. In modern clothing and fashion design, buttons are commonly made of plastic but also may be made of metal, wood, ...

s of

web browser A web browser is application software for accessing websites. When a user requests a web page from a particular website, the browser retrieves its files from a web server and then displays the page on the user's screen. Browsers are used on ...

s or what is known as

breadcrumb navigation A breadcrumb or breadcrumb trail is a graphical control element used as a navigational aid in user interfaces and on web pages. It allows users to keep track and maintain awareness of their locations within programs, documents, or websites. The ...

. However, these mechanisms must be learned by the reader, which is made more difficult by different implementations in different systems. Special orientation aids for hypertexts such as search functions,

sitemaps The Sitemaps protocol allows a webmaster to inform search engines about URLs on a website that are available for crawling. A Sitemap is an XML file that lists the URLs for a site. It allows webmasters to include additional information about ea ...

bookmark A bookmark is a thin marking tool, commonly made of card, leather, or fabric, used to keep track of a reader's progress in a book and allow the reader to easily return to where the previous reading session ended. Alternate materials for book ...

s, history, and

tabbed browsing In interface design, a tab is a graphical user interface object that allows multiple documents or panels to be contained within a single window, using tabs as a navigational widget for switching between sets of documents. It is an interface ...

can also alleviate the reader's lost-in-hyperspace dilemma. Successful navigation should provide answers to the questions: What is important? Where can I find relevant information? Where am I? What am I able to do here? How did I get here? Where can I go? How do I continue on, go back, or exit this page?

Serendipity

Proponents of the hypertext

paradigm In science and philosophy, a paradigm () is a distinct set of concepts or thought patterns, including theories, research methods, postulates, and standards for what constitute legitimate contributions to a field. Etymology ''Paradigm'' comes f ...

also argue that when searching for certain information in a hypertext system, the reader often comes across additional, equally interesting information, which was not an intended phenomenon but accompanies the use of the internet. This incidental finding of information that one was not actually looking for is known as the

serendipity Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. Serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of product invention and scientific discovery. Etymology The first noted use of "serendipity" was by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754. I ...

effect. However, anyone who is used to reading a physical text of their interest will hardly be satisfied with this view. Hypertext was a comparatively new form of information presentation during the 1990s and early 2000s, and since then browsing and using the internet has become a much larger part of daily life increasing familiarity with navigating the internet. However similar issues remain today with advertisements and other distractions as well as information stability and validity.{{cite journal, url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1405774314706560 , title=''Validity and Reliability in the Assessment of the Vulnerability of Social Networks'' , journal=Ingeniería, Investigación y Tecnología , author=Orantes-Jiménez {Sandra Dinora} and Vázquez-Álvarez Graciela , year=2014 , volume=15 , issue=4 , pages=585–592 , issn=1405-7743 , accessdate=2020-11-11 , doi=10.1016/S1405-7743(14)70656-0, doi-access=free

References

External links

“Lost in Hyperspace”
(German HTML wiki that references becoming lost in hyperspace) Content in this edit is translated from the existing German Wikipedia article at :de:Lost in Hyperspace; Hypertext

Hypertext

Workarounds

Serendipity

See also

References

Further reading

External links