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The crux of the argument: The link is, in a way, a technologically advanced form of a footnote. It's also, distraction-wise, a more violent form of a footnote.
by DenisM 16y ago
The crux of the argument:
The link is, in a way, a technologically advanced form of a footnote. It's also, distraction-wise, a more violent form of a footnote. Where a footnote gives your brain a gentle nudge, the link gives it a yank. What's good about a link - its propulsive force - is also what's bad about it.
I must say I am sympathetic. I have recently even developed a habit of opening long articles on the iPad instead of the laptop because there are fewer temptations to wander away and thus more chance of reading the article.
- jbrennan 16y agoI have been doing this as well. It has the added bonus of easily zooming in on the article's main content with a double-tap, which not only makes it more legible, but also hides other distractions elsewhere on the page (ads, archive links, etc.).
- inerte 16y agoI click with the mouse middle button, and in most browsers, a background tab will open. So I can keep reading the current page and have the other already loaded by the time I decide to close the parent page. And using Opera, it's just a matter of a few mouse gestures :p