There have been many claims as to the advantages and disadvantages of reading hypertext documents rather than linear paper-based versions. The most common (see Birkerts (1994, 1996, 1998) & Stephenson (1995) for example) is that of reducing our attention span; it is true that in reading a hyperlinked text, we tend to skim and skip, and are tempted to click on anything that seems relevant, however briefly. However, this effect seems as much a part of our current culture, with countless TV stations to flick between, and video games and online chat taking the place of reading and letter-writing. It may also be a result of our information overload — skim-reading everything just to cope with the amount of information heading our way — or it may be a more fundamental shift in the way we read and understand text (Hayles 2002, Dreyfus 2001).