Straight talk for troubled times, or the street finds its uses for things

A few years ago Thomas Landauer, a key figure in hypertext research, wrote an indispensable book called The Trouble with Computers. According to Landauer, society fails to understand that information technologies breed complexity in almost every area of application; yet inexplicably we expect these technologies to deliver simplicity, efficiency, and a straightforward return on investment. Landauer answers these false expectations with “user-centered design” (UCD), asking us to shift attention from systems and software to people, their activities, and their needs. Though this is a promising thesis, it begs some primary questions: Who defines appropriate uses of information technology? How do new technological affordances affect our concepts of value and productivity? Could a more basic process precede UCD, one in which we redefine use itself? The talk applies these questions to the most notorious area of hypertext development, HTTP and the World Wide Web. What has the Web meant so far for business, academia, and society in general? Has widespread and relatively intense engagement with hypertext produced any changes in our understanding of this technology? What does it mean to LM the Web?