Agency Among Agents: Designing with Hypertextual Friction in the Algorithmic Web
This addresses the issue of reduced user control in algorithmic web interfaces for designers and users, offering a conceptual framework rather than a technical solution, making it incremental in design theory.
The paper tackles the problem of user agency loss in algorithm-driven interfaces by introducing 'Hypertextual Friction,' a design stance that applies hypertext principles to reclaim control, showing that hypertext systems enhance provenance and user-driven meaning-making compared to algorithmic systems.
Today's algorithm-driven interfaces, from recommendation feeds to GenAI tools, often prioritize engagement and efficiency at the expense of user agency. As systems take on more decision-making, users have less control over what they see and how meaning or relationships between content are constructed. This paper introduces "Hypertextual Friction," a conceptual design stance that repositions classical hypertext principles--friction, traceability, and structure--as actionable values for reclaiming agency in algorithmically mediated environments. Through a comparative analysis of real-world interfaces--Wikipedia vs. Instagram Explore, and Are.na vs. GenAI image tools--we examine how different systems structure user experience, navigation, and authorship. We show that hypertext systems emphasize provenance, associative thinking, and user-driven meaning-making, while algorithmic systems tend to obscure process and flatten participation. We contribute: (1) a comparative analysis of how interface structures shape agency in user-driven versus agent-driven systems, and (2) a conceptual stance that offers hypertextual values as design commitments for reclaiming agency in an increasingly algorithmic web.