Linking

The introduction to the chapter on web design is one I find fascinating. Linking has always been something I'm interested in, though previously it has manifested in my researching habits and reading more than in my web habits. My bachelor's degree is in Literature and nearly all of my professors were intent upon teaching us to build connections not only between works as we explored allusions, but also between writing and the author, between a text and ourselves, between history and literature. That aspect of my degree was and is one of my favorite parts. I love being able to read a book and say "oh! The author is referring to a book by this other author!" It helps me to feel more connected to what I'm reading. I thinking that is the true nature of linking, it's the emphasis on connectivity, on demonstrating how the world and the individual fit together.

I was really intrigued by the biological linking, particularly those discussing the brain linking to technology in the literal sense. I am continually reminded of a young adult fiction novel I read titled The Feed by M.T. Anderson in which humans are bodily connected to technology through a consistent feed of information. Everything we have externally now on our computers, phones, and the like is internalized. It strikes me as being the kind of book that is more predictive than imaginative. I feel as though the links we have now are merely the beginning and quotes such as "Some reports have indicated that the quantity of data flowing through the 'Net doubles about every 100 days" serve to emphasize that train of thought.