Intertextuality

Intertextuality is a term coined in 1966 referring to texts being shaped and influenced by other texts.

I see Intertextuality as the main conceptual basis for web writing.

Everything is connected, Every text, every thread in a conversation (be it direct or indirect, through references) starts and ends in and with another text or thread. We are never-ending stories reaching out to find possible continuations on the Semantic Web.

I find the analogy between humans and texts very useful as a means for understanding our networked life. And by using the concept of text I refer to any symbolic representation of shared meaning.

For so long texts have been our main source and at the same time tool for passing on meaning and insights through time and space. Today this vehicle of traditions is being entirely logged, archived and digitized, creating a huge corpus of texts that are available to search through, enjoy, compare and most importantly enrich with new meanings and relationships.