Multimedia: Wagnerian Opera and Memex

Multimedia is a term used to refer to forms of communication in which more than technique is used to convey information. The term multimedia itself is a portmanteau of the Latin words, multum and medium - literally multiple media.

This document follows the development of aspects of multimedia over a long period. Therefore, a broad definition is necessary to understand these developments in their respective time frames. This definition must include, but not be limited to the massive developments which have taken place to include computers in the realm of multimedia. One such definition can be found on Wikipedia:

…media that uses multiple forms of information content and information processing (e.g. text, audio, graphics, animation, video, interactivity) to inform or entertain the (user) audience (Wikipedia, 2007c).

This report includes several aspects of multimedia, including that of multiple media - i.e. graphical content - and interactive hypermedia links (visible as underlined text). These can allow the reader to rapidly jump from one section to another forming a complex mesh of links.

Multimedia does not necessarily have to involve concurrent use of multiple media forms. It can also - although less commonly - be a series of works in different media intended to convey a collective narrative.

Links to each section of this document can be found in the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the screen.