The Computer Made Me Do It: Computers and Books

Abstract

This essay compares the form, function and experiences of reading and writing books with the utilization and creation of narratives on the computer. Topics include: hand-eye coordination, gestures and rituals which characterize computer use; the speed, accessibility and flexibility of computer tools; rules and assumptions which inform the relationship between human and machine; the structural, technical and psychological functions of the interface; the experience of navigation within an electronic narrative structure; the computer user as audience, reader and creator; signs and symbol, the intersections of visual and verbal language; the manipulation of icons, formats, metaphors and scenarios which support computer environments and simulations.