MIT 144F: Week4
Key Concepts from the Saul (1989) Article
Saul's (1989) Model of the Information Universe
Here we have yet another model to use in our examination of information. How do you think it compares to our other models?:
Saul's (1989) use of Information Anxiety:
"Information anxiety is produced by the ever-widening gap between what we understand and what we think we should understand. Information anxiety is the black hole between data and knowledge. It happens when information doesn't tell us what we want or need to know."
Saul's (1989) use of information:
Taken from Oxford English Dictionary
- has root in the Latin informare
"the action of forming matter, such as stone, wood, leather, etc.."
- came into English use in the sixteenth century
- most common definition:
"...the action of informing; formation or molding of the mind or character,
training, instruction, teaching; communication of instructive knowledge."
Shift in meaning following World War II:
"...vogue to use "information" as a technological term todefine anything that was sent over an electric or mechanical channel."
- Claude Shannon (of our channel model) and Warren Weaver published their The Mathematical Theory of Communication which strengthened the technological conception of information.
information defined as "...that which reduces uncertainty."
- Paul Kaufman (another theorist) wishes to counter the "technological" conception of information by:
"...creating a new image of information that departs from the current view that confuses the capacity to transmit raw signals with the capacity to create meaningful messages" (Italics mine)
Saul's (1989) three facets of the information business
Transmission
- things which start with "tele"
- domain of very large corporations
- big profits
Storage
- companies of all sizes
- computer and database companies
- many technological breakthoughs
Understanding
- bridges data and knowledge
- reduces information anxiety
- not many involved in this facet yet
- job is to filter information, data to ensure that public really understands what is going on
- I think that librarians, teachers, etc really fall in this category
- Important terms applicable here: intermediation / disintermediation