Bolter article

Bryan Hancock (hancock@virginia.edu)
Fri, 23 Feb 1996 00:13:52 -0500

I found the Bolter article to be interesting in its relation between a new
technology and the technology which it replaced. According to Bolter, for a
number of years after the invention of the printing press, the books which
were made mimicked the manuscripts which were previously created by hand.
Similarly, Bolter notes, documents on the WWW mimick books, magazines and
other print media. Documents on the WWW have not come into their own.
Although these insights are interesting and hold some validity, Bolter's
prediction for the future drastically underestimate the ability of hypertext
to come into its own on the WWW.

In the future, Bolter envisions a WWW in which "verbal rhetoric" is replaced
by "visual rhetoric." His focus remains on the interface and appearance of
the page itself rather than the format of information within the page.
Bolter sees a WWW with interactive pictures and movies instead of
replication of print media; however, these forms replicate linear forms
currently present in non-electronic media. Bolter's contrast between ironic
and realistic design emphasize his focus on the appearance of the page or
the nature of the information on the page, rather than an analysis of how
the information itself is formatted.

I would have liked to have seen Bolter explore the potential of hypertext on
the WWW as a non-linear, non-hierarchal system unlike any system existing in
current media. This would fit his paradigm of a new technology mimicking
current media before coming into its own. Unfortunately, he resorts to
predicting a higher form of imitation rather than searching for a unique
form. Other authors, including Burnett, have searched and described this
form in ways which Bolter failed to see.