Here are some notes on my thoughts around information societies.

An information society is a group of people (community) that earns money through the creation, distribution and consumption of information. This is made readily available through ICTs.

The teacher librarian (TL) should have an understanding of information societies and how they function as the TL is a curator and distributor of information. With information so readily available, the TL needs to teach discernment and critical evaluation of information. Anybody can claim to be an ‘expert’ on the internet, look no further then Belle Gibson and how she ‘cured’ her brain cancer through alternative medicine therapies.

We are living in an information society. Take my current working arrangement in Saudi Arabia. On Monday the 9th of March 2020, the Ministry of Education closed physical schools, and moved all learning online due to the COVID-19 outbreak. My job as a TL is to impart knowledge and information, and I am still required to do this, even though there is a physical distance between my students and myself. The flow of information is both synchronous and asynchronous, I send lesson outlines and activities to parents, who coach their children through the learning objectives. Throughout the week there is a window of time, where I am available synchronously for direct contact to ‘coach’ my students in their learning. My students and I can communicate in real-time or via email. While I am, I don’t need to even be in the same country anymore. Sander (2020) discussed in her article it is increasingly likely that you may be asked (or told) to work from home. Whilst the COVID-19 virus is not welcome, it is directly influencing society, revolutionising work, our workspaces and working hours. We are more connected than ever before, yet we often feel less connected to the people we are closest to physically (neighbours, the person beside you on the bus/train). What are the costs of our perpetual connectedness?

P.s. Is there a word for “never ending, but constantly evolving”? – I’d like to use it instead of perpetual as perpetual means never ending or changing, and that is not the nature of our connectedness..

References:

Percy, K. (2017, September 28). Belle Gibson, fake wellness blogger, fined $410,000 over false cancer claims. ABC news. Retrieved from https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-09-28/disgraced-wellness-blogger-belle-gibson-fined/8995500/

Sander, L (2020, March 11). Coronavirus could spark a revolution in working from home. Are we ready? The Conversation. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-could-spark-a-revolution-in-working-from-home-are-we-ready-133070/