Information experience: a new domain and object of research
1 like464 views
Dr. Kate Davis discusses her research in information experience, focusing on how individuals interact with information in their daily lives, particularly in the context of social media. The study highlights the importance of understanding information behavior, practice, and literacy through an experiential lens, especially in relation to new mothers' information experiences during significant life events. The research emphasizes a holistic view of people's engagements with information, integrating social, individual, and contextual dimensions.
![INFORMATION LITERACY
• The behavioural approach sees ‘Information
literacy [as] a set of abilities requiring individuals
to recognize when information is needed and
have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use
effectively the needed information.’ (ACRL, 2000,
p. 2.)
• The relational approach sees information literacy
as phenomenal (something that is experienced)
and seeks to understand how people experience
it. Information literacy is conceptualised as using
information to learn.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2017-s1ixd-lecture-ifn611-170516025354/85/Information-experience-a-new-domain-and-object-of-research-9-320.jpg)
![Kate: So, when you were working out what
was happening with Noah’s [intolerance],
where did you look for that kind of
information?
Naomi: I had a few books that I looked in
which was not really me to look through
books. But mostly I just, like, googled my
heart out… and tried to find … it was really
difficult like to find information](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2017-s1ixd-lecture-ifn611-170516025354/85/Information-experience-a-new-domain-and-object-of-research-32-320.jpg)
![Kate: So, when you were working out what
was happening with Noah’s [intolerance],
where did you look for that kind of
information?
Naomi: I had a few books that I looked in
which was not really me to look through
books. But mostly I just, like, googled my
heart out… and tried to find … it was really
difficult like to find information](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2017-s1ixd-lecture-ifn611-170516025354/85/Information-experience-a-new-domain-and-object-of-research-33-320.jpg)
![Melanie: I thought no, this is just, this is great, I don’t need to read
all these crappy books and go to you know mothers group and
belly ache about how hard it is, these are the things that are
really useful coz they provide you with a moment of light as well
where you think okay, I can get some feedback on this is really
hard instantly from someone who actually knows what the right
moment [is] and then I mean there are plenty of times where I’ve
said you know ‘is this supposed to be happening, is it supposed
to be you know?’ that sort of thing but also reading other people’s
blogs about their kids and having a look from a sort of
dispassionate point of view about the attachment parenting you
know versus non wearing babies, not wearing babies, breast
feeding, not breast feeding, I mean there are a lot of big debates
where people are really head up about it and you can kind of just
have a look and see you know what that’s all about without
actually wading in if you don’t want to. Coz the value of it is you
can use it as an information source or you can gauge depending
on how you feel so I think, in the very beginning I was just
basically getting information from people and bouncing ideas or
getting support and it wasn’t so much ‘how do you do various
things?’ but it was like ‘oh, there’s someone out there who
actually understands’.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2017-s1ixd-lecture-ifn611-170516025354/85/Information-experience-a-new-domain-and-object-of-research-34-320.jpg)
![Melanie: I thought no, this is just, this is great, I don’t need to read
all these crappy books and go to you know mothers group and
belly ache about how hard it is, these are the things that are
really useful coz they provide you with a moment of light as well
where you think okay, I can get some feedback on this is really
hard instantly from someone who actually knows what the right
moment [is] and then I mean there are plenty of times where I’ve
said you know ‘is this supposed to be happening, is it supposed
to be you know?’ that sort of thing but also reading other people’s
blogs about their kids and having a look from a sort of
dispassionate point of view about the attachment parenting you
know versus non wearing babies, not wearing babies, breast
feeding, not breast feeding, I mean there are a lot of big debates
where people are really head up about it and you can kind of just
have a look and see you know what that’s all about without
actually wading in if you don’t want to. Coz the value of it is you
can use it as an information source or you can gauge depending
on how you feel so I think, in the very beginning I was just
basically getting information from people and bouncing ideas or
getting support and it wasn’t so much ‘how do you do various
things?’ but it was like ‘oh, there’s someone out there who
actually understands’.](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/2017-s1ixd-lecture-ifn611-170516025354/85/Information-experience-a-new-domain-and-object-of-research-35-320.jpg)
Information experience: a new domain and object of research
- 1. INFORMATION EXPERIENCE a new domain and object of research Kate Davis Digital Life Lab USQ
- 2. INTRODUCTION
- 3. HI, HELLO, HOW ARE YOU?
- 4. DR KATE DAVIS | @KATIEDAVIS senior research fellow | digital life lab | university of southern queensland | katedavis.info | kate.davis@qut.edu.au what I do: I’m an interdisciplinary human experience researcher; a social scientist interested in understanding how people experience information as part of their everyday lives. what I’m excited about: post-truth, alternative facts, fake news, social media echo chambers. what a time to be an information researcher!
- 6. INFORMATION BEHAVIOUR 'how people need, seek, manage, give and use information in different contexts.’ Savolainen, Reijo (2007). Information behavior and information practice: reviewing the ‘umbrella concepts’ of information- seeking studies. The Library Quarterly 77 (2), 109-27.
- 7. INFORMATION PRACTICE ‘a basic characteristic of the discourse on practice, in general, as well as “information practice,” in particular, is the emphasis placed on the role of contextual factors of information seeking, use, and sharing, as distinct from the individualist and often decontextualized approaches that are seen as characteristic of assumptions of information behavior.’ Savolainen, Reijo (2007). Information behavior and information practice: reviewing the ‘umbrella concepts’ of information-seeking studies. The Library Quarterly 77 (2), 109-27.
- 8. HOW PEOPLE DEAL WITH INFORMATION ‘In information studies, phrases such as “information behavior” and “information practice” have been used to characterize the ways that people generally “deal with information.”’ Savolainen, Reijo (2007). Information behavior and information practice: reviewing the ‘umbrella concepts’ of information-seeking studies. The Library Quarterly 77 (2), 109-27.
- 9. INFORMATION LITERACY • The behavioural approach sees ‘Information literacy [as] a set of abilities requiring individuals to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate, and use effectively the needed information.’ (ACRL, 2000, p. 2.) • The relational approach sees information literacy as phenomenal (something that is experienced) and seeks to understand how people experience it. Information literacy is conceptualised as using information to learn.
- 11. PEOPLE& their experience of information & technology understanding Image 1: Public domain
- 12. ““ IX AS AN EMERGING DOMAIN OF INFORMATION RESEARCH • a focus on experience o allows a broad understanding and interpretation of people’s engagement and interaction with the information environment. (Bruce, C. & Partridge, H., 2011) o takes into account the interrelations between people and their broader environments in a manner which considers people and their world as inseparable. It also provides deep insights into the ways in which people relate to their informational life-worlds. (Bruce, C., Davis, K., Hughes, H., Partridge, H., & Stoodley, I., 2014)
- 13. IX AS DOMAIN OF RESEARCH • gives us an experiential lens through which to view people’s engagement with information • any number of objects of study can be researched with an experiential lens: information behaviour; information practice; information literacy • research in the domain of information experience takes a holistic view of people’s experiences of and with information and views people as inseparable from their informational worlds
- 14. information behaviour information practice information literacy INFORMATION EXPERIENCE AS RESEARCH DOMAIN information experience
- 15. “ “ a complex of information experiences, as contextualised instances of using information. It integrates all information-related actions, thoughts, feelings, and has social and cultural dimensions. (Hughes, 2014, p. 34) DEFINING IX AS OBJECT OF STUDY
- 17. SO WHAT? WHY IS IX IMPORTANT? • other information-related objects of study or approaches to research may not take a holistic focus • it defines information as that which informs a given cohort, not by traditional definitions • it considers people, their information worlds, their life-worlds, their contexts • IX research presents a nuanced view of people’s engagement with information
- 18. DIMENSIONS OF IX • people: individuals and their worldviews, emotions, backgrounds, thoughts and feelings, as well as characteristics that define the participant cohort • context: the space (physical and/or virtual) in which the experience occurs; this may also include the ‘situation’ (for example, in the case of Bunce, Partridge, and Davis’s 2012 study, the situation is a natural disaster) • information: in its myriad forms and as indicated in the data (‘information-as-it-is-experienced’ (Lupton, 2014) as opposed to how it is traditionally defined)
- 19. IX STUDIES TO DATE: PEOPLE AND CONTEXT DIMENSIONS My PhD study Partridge & Yates (2015) Bunce, Partridge, & Davis (2013) Haidn, Partridge & Yates (2014) Object of study New mothers’ information experience in social media Information experiences in social media during times of natural disaster Information experience in social media during the Brisbane floods of 2011 Information experience during the 2012 Queensland state election People New mothers residing in Australia (and their life/information worlds) People who were in some way effected by the 2010-11 Brisbane floods or Cyclone Yasi (and their life/information worlds) Residents of Brisbane City and surrounding suburbs who resided in areas affected by the 2011 Brisbane floods (and their life/information worlds) Residents of South East Queensland (and their life/information worlds) Context Social media Social media in natural disasters Social media in natural disasters The 2012 Queensland state election
- 20. BUT WHAT ABOUT THE INFORMATION DIMENSION? what is information? well that’s a jolly good question! what do you think?
- 21. NEW MOTHERS’ INFORMATION EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA an information experience study
- 22. WHAT IS THE NATURE OF NEW MOTHERS’ INFORMATION EXPERIENCE IN SOCIAL MEDIA?Image 2
- 23. STRUCTURE OF THE FINDINGS • three dimensions: o people o context o information • seven characteristics • 13 categories of experience
- 24. CONTEXT DIMENSION SOCIAL MEDIA AS CONTEXT • social media as context o social media platforms o macro spaces o micro spaces • individual social media context comprised of macro and micro spaces • social media context unique to the individual • in this study, primarily o facebook o blogs o twitter o instagram
- 25. INFORMATION DIMENSION PARTICIPANTS EXPERIENCED INFORMATION AS • advice: information that recommends an approach or a course of action • ideas: thoughts, suggestions or inspiration that suggest options or things to think about • reassurance: information that validates, comforts or heartens • recounted experiences: women’s narratives about mothering • proper information: information that is verifiable and grounded in medicine, science or psychology • nothing information: information that may not mean anything to those other than the sharer • announcements: personal or administrative information that announces or reveals something • instinct: internal information in the form of an innate impulse • own experience: prior experience, accumulated experience builds up as a sort of knowledgebase and informs future action • child’s behaviour: the way a child responds to stimulus or the environment
- 26. INFORMATION DIMENSION DEALINGS WITH INFORMATION • creating: information is created, co-created, adapted and built upon through social interactions • discovering: information is actively sought out, encountered, and provided without solicitation • referring: information is shared • storing: information is stored for later use, builds up a knowledge bank, is bookmarked until needed • evaluating: information is assessed for quality, reliability and validity, with information based on personal experience being valued most highly • using: information is applied in making decisions or taking action
- 27. 7 CHARACTERISTICS OF IX • social • individualised • immersive • personal • somewhere between public and private • context-specific • constantly changing
- 28. 13 CATEGORIES OF EXPERIENCE • are underpinned by the three dimensions (people, context, information) and the seven characteristics • they are the guts of the theory • complex, multi-dimensional and contain variation • provide holistic view of the phenomenon – considering emotions, thoughts, lived experience • focus on experience and through this provide insights about information, information interactions, social media as context, and the characteristics of new mothers’ information experience
- 29. 13 CATEGORIES OF EXPERIENCE • belonging to the sisterhood • sharing • learning to be a mother • understanding normal • being more than a mother • enacting relationships • experiencing moments of light • overcoming isolation • sense-making, catharsis and self-care • navigating the politics of mothering • exercising self and social awareness • being private in public • documenting
- 30. BELONGING TO THE SISTERHOOD ...all of a sudden this secret society that you never knew existed ... it just pops up around you Image 3
- 31. UNDERSTANDING NORMAL I just thought, “This is what babies are like”... I didn’t know that wasn’t normal, that they’re not meant to cry all day every day. Like, no one had told me that. Image 4
- 32. Kate: So, when you were working out what was happening with Noah’s [intolerance], where did you look for that kind of information? Naomi: I had a few books that I looked in which was not really me to look through books. But mostly I just, like, googled my heart out… and tried to find … it was really difficult like to find information
- 33. Kate: So, when you were working out what was happening with Noah’s [intolerance], where did you look for that kind of information? Naomi: I had a few books that I looked in which was not really me to look through books. But mostly I just, like, googled my heart out… and tried to find … it was really difficult like to find information
- 34. Melanie: I thought no, this is just, this is great, I don’t need to read all these crappy books and go to you know mothers group and belly ache about how hard it is, these are the things that are really useful coz they provide you with a moment of light as well where you think okay, I can get some feedback on this is really hard instantly from someone who actually knows what the right moment [is] and then I mean there are plenty of times where I’ve said you know ‘is this supposed to be happening, is it supposed to be you know?’ that sort of thing but also reading other people’s blogs about their kids and having a look from a sort of dispassionate point of view about the attachment parenting you know versus non wearing babies, not wearing babies, breast feeding, not breast feeding, I mean there are a lot of big debates where people are really head up about it and you can kind of just have a look and see you know what that’s all about without actually wading in if you don’t want to. Coz the value of it is you can use it as an information source or you can gauge depending on how you feel so I think, in the very beginning I was just basically getting information from people and bouncing ideas or getting support and it wasn’t so much ‘how do you do various things?’ but it was like ‘oh, there’s someone out there who actually understands’.
- 35. Melanie: I thought no, this is just, this is great, I don’t need to read all these crappy books and go to you know mothers group and belly ache about how hard it is, these are the things that are really useful coz they provide you with a moment of light as well where you think okay, I can get some feedback on this is really hard instantly from someone who actually knows what the right moment [is] and then I mean there are plenty of times where I’ve said you know ‘is this supposed to be happening, is it supposed to be you know?’ that sort of thing but also reading other people’s blogs about their kids and having a look from a sort of dispassionate point of view about the attachment parenting you know versus non wearing babies, not wearing babies, breast feeding, not breast feeding, I mean there are a lot of big debates where people are really head up about it and you can kind of just have a look and see you know what that’s all about without actually wading in if you don’t want to. Coz the value of it is you can use it as an information source or you can gauge depending on how you feel so I think, in the very beginning I was just basically getting information from people and bouncing ideas or getting support and it wasn’t so much ‘how do you do various things?’ but it was like ‘oh, there’s someone out there who actually understands’.
- 36. SO WHAT? WHY IS IX IMPORTANT? • other information-related objects of study or approaches to research may not take a holistic focus • it defines information as that which informs a given cohort, not by traditional definitions • it considers people, their information worlds, their life-worlds, their contexts • IX research presents a nuanced view of people’s engagement with information
- 37. IT HELPS US TO… • understand people and their experience of information in a given context in a holistic way, which helps us to: o design systems, interfaces, services, information, information interventions • where might our work be applicable?
- 38. QUESTIONS? kate davis | @katiedavis | kate.davis@usq.edu.au | katedavis.info