hypertext and hypermedia technology Written by Carmen Daniela Maier Contributor to SAGE Publications's The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society (2020) whose work appears in Britannica as part of a joint publishing agreement with SAGE. Carmen Daniela Maier Fact-checked by Britannica Editors Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Britannica Editors Last updated May 26, 2026 •History Although some researchers use the terms hypertext and hypermedia interchangeably, or understand hypertext as including hypermedia (or vice versa), the distinction between the two terms is still useful in order to make sense of the challenging changes that continue to characterize 21st-century means of communication. For this purpose, hypermedia is defined here as the complex technology that enables multimedia communication through hypertexts. Taking this perspective implies that hypertexts can be defined as dynamic and interactive...

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