American Libraries and the Internet: The Social Construction of Web Appropriation and Use
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American Libraries and the Internet: The Social Construction of W ...

Chapter 1:  The World Wide Web: A General Introduction
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  • It is a hypertext system that links files located on computers around the world in the form of a network of linked documents. This is one of the most distinctive features of the Web. Readers can move from one text to another by a single click. The fact that the Web is placed in a public domain and used by a large number of people implies that the hypertext of the Web can be infinite: It is always possible to move on from a page and never stop.
  • Related to the hypertext feature of the Web is the nonlinear content provided by the Web. This offers browsing flexibility because users can read a Web document in any order. Any page can also be considered a point of entry into the much larger texts on the Web, where the beginning and end become difficult to identify.
  • It is a multimedia system. It includes not only text-based information but also images, audio, and video. The Web is like a medium with the characteristics of both book and television combined.
  • It is a client-server application that allows the Web to grow easily without any centralized control. Anyone can publish information, and anyone can read it.
  • It changes the role of users from traditional receivers of information to active readers and producers of information. A user can read a Web page in the order he or she sees fit, explore interesting links, and grab relevant information. Users can also publish on the Web if they have the necessary facilities and skills.
  • It is a dynamic system. Documents can be easily updated at any given time by either creating new links or revising the existing information content.
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