a method and apparatus for organizing and processing interconnected pieces of information using a digital computer is disclosed . each node has elements that may be text , images , audio , video , and other computer programs . a graph - based user interface presents the individual nodes in spatial arrangements that reflect the relationships among the nodes . user interaction indicating interest in a particular node results in an increase in the “ activation ” of that node . this leads to an increase in the size of the presentation of that node , as well as an increase in the size of the presentation of closely related nodes . the result is a unique user interaction paradigm that allows for intuitive traversal of complex collections of nodes .