hyperteksti

Hyperteksti is a non-linear text structure that uses hyperlinks to connect related pieces of information. In a hypertext system, documents are composed of nodes, such as pages or sections, linked by references called hyperlinks. Readers navigate by following links rather than reading linearly, enabling non-sequential exploration and context-rich navigation. Hyperteksti supports multimedia elements, including images, audio, and video, integrated with text.

Historically, the concept emerged in mid-20th century with Vannevar Bush's memex idea and Ted Nelson's coining of the term hypertext. Early experiments by Douglas Engelbart and collaborative projects laid groundwork for linked documents. The modern realization arrived with Tim Berners-Lee's World Wide Web in the early 1990s, which standardised hyperlinks using HTML, HTTP, and URLs, enabling widespread hypertext publishing across networks.

Key characteristics include anchor-based linking, navigational structure, and the possibility of cascading, contextual disambiguation with metadata. Hyperteksti systems may be static (fixed links) or dynamic (links generated on the fly), and can be supplemented by hypermedia where links point to other media types.

Impact and usage: hyperteksti is the core mechanism of most modern online information ecosystems, including wikis, encyclopedias, documentation, and digital libraries. It supports quick cross-referencing, browsing, and contextual learning, but can suffer from link rot, maintenance complexity, information overload, and accessibility challenges for assistive technologies.

See also: Hyperlink, Hypermedia, World Wide Web, Wiki.