Module 2. The Information Environment
2.2 Think and reflect
Think about the ramifications of having ready access to information at all times. For example, how does this aspect affect you and your capacity to study this subject? What are 3 benefits and 3 negatives?
Mosbergen (2016) reported that 1 out of 10 employees in France experienced burnout from their work. One of the causes for this was being constantly connected to work by email communications after work. The French legislation suggested employees deserved the right to disconnect after hours. The right to disconnect isn’t necessarily an obligation, but it’s an opportunity to claim a little breathing room. The real problem for this situation is the culture of having to do more and work more constantly to compete with others.
In relation to the online study for my TL degree, there are advantages and disadvantages of having ready access to course information at all times.
The 3 benefits are:
- Information is available24/7. Students can get fast and timely response and feedback from lecturers and share information with their peers instantly.
- Information is portable and available at anywhere. Students can study wherever they can access the Internet and do study at times that suit their own schedules.
- Access a large volume of information in a short time. Students can immediately locate multiple versions of the same information or various information on the same topic with different viewpoints.
The 3 negatives are:
- Stress in relation to the study can be overwhelming because students never disconnect from the information sources. This stress could be related to the competition spirit which drives every student to do better.
- When searching on the Internet, it is a very dense landscape to navigate. It is easy to get lost and lose focus on the most important information needed for the topic.
- Studying online courses need excellent time management and organisational skills. It can be difficult to keep up with the pace of the study because it heavily relies on self- motivation and self-initiative. Students can feel isolated as well without face-to-face communications with the lecturers and their
The advantages and disadvantages mentioned above can be applied to many workplaces in today’s information society. We are heavily relying on technology to provide us with quick access to information. The technology is rapidly developing to meet the users’ needs. However, it can be overwhelming for users to catch up with the technology and deal with the stress caused by the technology.
As TLs, we need to teach young people to use technology wisely so that we are not driven by the technology but become smart users of the technology.
Reference:
Mosbergen, D. (2016). French legislation suggests employees deserve the right to disconnect. The Huffington Post. Retrieved July 2016.
Explain what you think the phrase – the tool is directing the user – means? How do you think embedded AI affects how people use technology in the digital environment?
A major issue relating to this technological perspective of the Information Society is the question of determinism. Who/what is driving technological change? Is it the inhabitants of the landscape or the technology? Has it reached a point where the technology itself drives the agenda or is society in control? Does society determine the rate of change, or is society still trying to catch up?
In the current information society it is very true that “the tool is directing the user”. The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is applied to many services and devices we use every day. Google is one of the most common powerful AIs used on the Android phones, computers and tablets. Google records places the user has been to, the websites he/she has visited and online activities which have occurred on the device. The user has to sign up for Google in order to access Google Map, which is the most common GPS system used for driving. The Android phone system relies heavily on Google apps to operate without which the user would not be able to use many apps on their phones. While the Google system empowers the user in today’s digital society, it also forces them to lose their privacy while accessing Google. Hackers can break into the user’s device system to obtain personal information.
Technology itself drives the agenda of what the user should use in order to survive in the digital society. On the other hand, the society is trying to catch up with all the changes technology has brought. Users are learning as much technology knowledge as they can in order to make decisions on what degree of technology or functions they want to use on their devices. Ongoing discussions on the overuse of technology and protection of privacy are indications of how society is catching up with the advances of technology. Users’ demands for higher level of security and protection of privacy have influenced the design of past and future technological devices which would increasingly be embedded with suitable softwares to meet those demands.
2.3 Think and reflect
Are your ideas developing about the information society?
- What do you think this term means?
- Why is it important for the teacher librarian to have an understanding of the information landscape?
Information society refers to a society where information related to the creation, distribution, and manipulation of information has become the most significant economic and cultural activity. The definition of information society can be found on a report written by IBM Community Development Foundation in 1997. It says information society is “the result of social inclusion of national working party” (Rouse 2005). This definition forecasted the changes technology would bring in the next decades. Technology has become part of our lives in the 21 century. Its importance will increase as users require more advanced technology to meet the needs of cultural, work, business and communication activities. The concept of information society is also related to social equity. All people living in the information society have the right to access information through technologies including the Internet, phones and computers, etc.
Teacher Librarians need to have an understanding of the information landscape. The dynamic information landscape means that students can access information via many channels and in many forms. Students need to be taught how to find the information they need and make judgement on what type of information is of good quality for their study. The dynamic information landscape also has an impact on the nature of work and composition of the workforce. Teacher librarians as educators need to prepare students to face these future changes.
Reference:
Rouse, M. (2005). What is Information Society? Whatis. Retrieved Nov. 2016