What is information?

This is such a dense and interesting topic though I confess I am getting a bit lost in some of the readings!  I found some of the initial discourse in ‘Information and its philosophy’  (Cornelius, 2004) a tangled analysis of Floridi’s work who identifies that Librarian and Information Science is applied PI.’  (Cornelius, 2004, p. 377).

Case’s discussion on information (Case, 2006, p. 44) provides many definitions of information from a variety of researchers who describe similar structures in the definitions of ‘information’. Dervin, Ruben, Buckland and McCreadie & Rice each have three or four ‘categories’ or ‘orders’ in their definitions demonstrating that there information is too complex to have only one definition or understanding (Case, 2006, p. 44).  Many of these authors’ definitions have a human factor or social construct as part of their sense of the term.

In the discussion in this article about problematic issues in defining information, I was particularly taken by the idea of information that is ‘not present’,  Norretrander,  (as cited in Case, 2006, p.58) is still relevant to the receiver who  understands  the message. His example of, ‘no news is good news’ means that by not receiving any ‘information’, a message has been conveyed. This example is part of the bigger discussion about whether information is made of distinct elements or is it a process?

I thought a lot about the idea that information does not need to be perceived or understood to exist. Stonier (as cited in Case, 2006, p.59 ).  This struck me as similar to the butterfly flapping wings in the forest…..

Cornelieus (Cornelius, 2004, p. 386) concludes that it is important to have an interpretation of information that requires a recipient and addresses, ‘our purpose, our practices and the social context of information’.

 

My understanding of information

Information has many definitions. It can mean the smallest piece of technology or data. It is capable of making change and even making a difference sometimes.  A recipient of a piece of information may or may not know they have received information and the sender may not know the information has been sent or has not intentionally sent it. Information can be physical or digital or exist in thoughts (psychological).  The same information received by more than one person can be interpreted in different ways – judges at court hearing the same evidence can make different individual judgements and doctors seeing the same patient can make different diagnoses.  Information can: be gathered and can have ‘behaviour’ and seekers and users. It can also have usage, sources and experts.

I like the final comment that says we should not be really concerned with trying to find the one definition of information but concentrate more on the different concepts of information, Artandi (as cited in Cornelius, 2004, p. 386) and the argument for treating information as a primitive concept – one that doesn’t require a restricted definition.

 

References

Case, D. (2006). The concept of information. In Looking for information: A survey of research on information seeking, needs and behaviour, pp. 40-65. 2nded. Burlingham: Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. ebook, CSU Library

Cornelius, I. (2004). Information and its philosophy. Library Trends, 52(3), 377-386. CSU Library.