Digital media have their own internal possibilities of resistance. My discussion here deals exclusively with textual hypertext because this nicely shows the the possibilities of linking. There are analogous and other things to be said about image-rich hypermedia. There are other loci of resistance and subversion within the mechanisms of the digital world, as well. The most famous are those caused by the aspirations, political and otherwise, of coders and hackers.
I wonder if it is possible as well that entertainment in the digital world will, on its own, encourage a less passive consumption of culture and knowledge. It is too early to tell, but there are encouraging signs in the willingness of some players to cheat and reprogram their computer games. Displaying self-authored material on YouTube, Instagram, and their siblings provides evidence of people creating new kinds of works in digital media that demand new kinds of reading. These are mostly short pieces; but they can be linked and combined into more complex wholes as people learn new ways.
Another sign of more active consumption-relating is the creation of personal, then communal Web pages. People want to say things; Web sites are thrown up in response to enthusiasms for a movie or a rock song or a celebrity or to vent an annoyance. Such Web makers may not be as creative as the people who make their own music or videos, but with time and better tools, the wired world may encourage more creativity and community than we might expect.
