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Hypertext Semiotics in the Commercialized Internet

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Hypertext Semiotics in the Commercialized Internet Hypertext Semiotics in the Commercialized Internet Moritz Neumüller Wien, Oktober 2001 DOKTORAT DER SOZIAL- UND WIRTSCHAFTSWISSENSCHAFTEN 1. Beurteiler: Univ. Prof. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Wolfgang Panny, Institut für Informationsver- arbeitung und Informationswirtschaft der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Abteilung für Angewandte Informatik. 2. Beurteiler: Univ. Prof. Dr. Herbert Hrachovec, Institut für Philosophie der Universität Wien. Betreuer: Gastprofessor Univ. Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Veith Risak Eingereicht am: Hypertext Semiotics in the Commercialized Internet Dissertation zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades eines Doktors der Sozial- und Wirtschaftswissenschaften an der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien eingereicht bei 1. Beurteiler: Univ. Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Panny, Institut für Informationsverarbeitung und Informationswirtschaft der Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Abteilung für Angewandte Informatik 2. Beurteiler: Univ. Prof. Dr. Herbert Hrachovec, Institut für Philosophie der Universität Wien Betreuer: Gastprofessor Univ. Doz. Dipl.-Ing. Dr. Veith Risak Fachgebiet: Informationswirtschaft von MMag. Moritz Neumüller Wien, im Oktober 2001 Ich versichere: 1. daß ich die Dissertation selbständig verfaßt, andere als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel nicht benutzt und mich auch sonst keiner unerlaubten Hilfe bedient habe. 2. daß ich diese Dissertation bisher weder im In- noch im Ausland (einer Beurteilerin / einem Beurteiler zur Begutachtung) in irgendeiner Form als Prüfungsarbeit vorgelegt habe. 3. daß dieses Exemplar mit der beurteilten Arbeit überein stimmt. Datum Unterschrift 5 Abstract Hypertext theory makes use of the same set of terms that have been explored in decades of semiotic investigation, such as sign, text, communication, code, metaphor, paradigm, syn- tax, etc. Building on approaches that have succeeded in applying semiotic principles and methodology to computer science, such as computer semiotics, computational semiotics, and semiotic interface engineering, this dissertation establishes a systematic account for those researchers who are ready to look at hypertext from a semiotic point of view. Rather than a new hypertext model, this work presents the prolegomena of a theory of hypertext semiotics, interlacing the existing models with the findings of semiotic research, on all levels of the textual, aural, visual, tactile and olfactory channels. A short history of hyper- text, from its prehistory to today’s state of the art systems and the current developments in the commercialized World Wide Web creates the context for this approach which should be seen as a fortification of the connection between the media semiotic approach and computer semiotics. While computer semioticians claim that the computer is a semiotic machine and Artificial Intelligence scientists underline the importance of semiotics for the construction of the next hypertext generation, this paper makes use of a much broader methodological basis. The range of subtopics include hypertext applications, paradigms, structure, naviga- tion, Web design, and Web augmentation. The interdisciplinary spectrum of methodology also enables detailed analyses, e.g. of the Web browsers’ pointing device, the @ sign, and emoticons. The ”icon” (a small picture known from the GUI desktop and used in hyper- text) is identified as a misnomer and replaced by a new generation of powerful ”Graphical Link Markers”. These findings are placed in the context of the commercialization of the Internet. Besides identifying the main challenges for eCommerce from the viewpoint of hypertext semiotics, the author concentrates on information goods and the current limita- tions for a new economy, such as restrictive intellectual property and copyright laws. These anachronistic regulations are based on the problematic assumption that – for information too – value is based on scarcity. A semiotic analysis of iMarketing techniques, such as banner ads, keywords, and link injection and two digressions on the Browser War, and the Toywar complete the dissertation. 6 Zusammenfassung Die Hypertext Theorie verwendet die selbe Terminologie, welche seit Jahrzehnten in der semiotischen Forschung untersucht wird, wie z.B. Zeichen, Text, Kommunikation, Code, Metapher, Paradigma, Syntax, usw. Aufbauend auf jenen Ergebnissen, welche in der An- wendung semiotischer Prinzipien und Methoden auf die Informatik erfolgreich waren, wie etwa Computer Semiotics, Computational Semiotics und Semiotic Interface Engineering, legt diese Dissertation einen systematischen Ansatz für all jene Forscher dar, die bereit sind, Hypertext aus einer semiotischen Perspektive zu betrachten. Durch die Verknüpfung ex- istierender Hypertext-Modelle mit den Resultaten aus der Semiotik auf allen Sinnesebenen der textuellen, auditiven, visuellen, taktilen und geruchlichen Wahrnehmung skizziert der Autor Prolegomena einer Hypertext-Semiotik-Theorie, anstatt ein völlig neues Hypertext- Modell zu präsentieren. Eine Einführung in die Geschichte der Hypertexte, von ihrer Vorgeschichte bis zum heutigen Entwicklungsstand und den gegenwärtigen Entwicklungen im kommerzialisierten World Wide Web bilden den Rahmen für diesen Ansatz, welcher als Fundierung des Brückenschlages zwischen Mediensemiotik und Computer-Semiotik angesehen werden darf. Während Computer-Semiotiker wissen, dass der Computer eine semiotische Maschine ist und Experten der künstlichen Intelligenz-Forschung die Rolle der Semiotik in der Entwicklung der nächsten Hypertext-Generation betonen, bedient sich diese Arbeit einer breiteren methodologischen Basis. Dementsprechend reichen die Teil- gebiete von Hypertextanwendungen, -paradigmen, und -strukturen, über Navigation, Web Design und Web Augmentation zu einem interdisziplinären Spektrum detaillierter Anal- ysen, z.B. des Zeigeinstrumentes der Web Browser, des Klammeraffen-Zeichens und der sogenannten Emoticons. Die Bezeichnung ”Icon” wird als unpassender Name für jene Bildchen, welche von der graphischen Benutzeroberfläche her bekannt sind und in Hyper- texten eingesetzt werden, zurückgewiesen und diese Bildchen durch eine neue Generation mächtiger Graphic Link Markers ersetzt. Diese Ergebnisse werden im Kontext der Kom- merzialisierung des Internet betrachtet. Neben der Identifizierung der Hauptprobleme des eCommerce aus der Perspektive der Hypertext Semiotik, widmet sich der Autor den In- formationsgütern und den derzeitigen Hindernissen für die New Economy, wie etwa der restriktiven Gesetzeslage in Sachen Copyright und Intellectual Property. Diese anachronis- tischen Beschränkungen basieren auf der problematischen Annahme, dass auch der Infor- mationswert durch die Knappheit bestimmt wird. Eine semiotische Analyse der iMarketing Techniken, wie z.B. Banner Werbung, Keywords und Link Injektion, sowie Exkurse über den Browser Krieg und den Toywar runden die Dissertation ab. Preface ”Why is this a book?” is the first sentence of Jakob Nielsen’s seminal work on hypertext and hypermedia, [387]. The same question should be asked to the author of a doctoral thesis on hypertext semiotics. For Nielsen, there were still ”so many disadvantages connected with electronic publishing” that he decided to stay with paper a little longer. Many of these disadvantages seem to have disappeared with the rise of the WWW. Yet, a lot of technical and administrative factors still favor the dissemination of scientific works on paper and online. The strategy to deliver a printout of a Web project’s HTML pages to the library staff (as described in [65]) does not solve the problem. Thus, I opted for a hybrid form of electronic and paper publishing, the PDF format with embedded hyperlinks and a HTML version derived from it, cf. [196].1 The cross-references to other sections, figures or footnotes are active links that save the reader of the electronic text from leafing or scrolling around. The definiton links to the glossary, the ”backlinks” in the bibliographic section and the active hyperlinks to World Wide Web sites are especially useful in the online version. Accordingly, the table of contents alone cannot fully represent the structure of this docu- ment. To get an overview over this work and for navigation purposes, the reader should also study figure 1, the graphical map of the dissertation. This dissertation would not exist without the sustained efforts of many people. Allow me first and foremost to stress the depth of my obligation to my adviser, Veith Risak. In personal conversations and numerous e-mails, his insights and commentaries on this dissertation helped me discover what it was about. I am also thankful for the advise and contributions of several collegues, among them Wolfgang Panny and Andreas Geyer- Schulz at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration (WU Wien), Herbert Hrachovec and Klaus Hamberger at the University of Vienna (Uni Wien), Jeff Bernard at the Institute for Socio-Semiotic Studies (ISSS) in Vienna, Karin Wenz, Guido Ipsen and Joseph Wallmannsberger at the University of Kassel, Dagmar Schmauks at the TU Berlin, Linda Colet at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), Lauretta Jones at the Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Sigi Reich at the University of Linz, Frank Shipman at Texas A&M University, and Brian Proffitt at BrowserWatch. In my efforts to write this work, I was supported by Claudia Hundius (who also helped with the compilation of the glossary), my parents, my brother and my closest friends. 1 This thesis is written with the text editor LYX on LATEX, a document preparation system designed by Leslie Lamport in 1985. It, in turn,
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