Information in Crisis Mode? A Conceptual Analysis of the Information Crisis Discourse

Abstract

The concept of ‘information crisis’ is playing an increasingly prominent role within information studies literature and practice. Yet, the term is rarely defined and its meaning often remains both inconsistent and ambiguous. This opacity calls for a greater grounding of the term if it is to become a key concept in the field, including how it operates and what it enforces. This short paper draws upon information studies literature to present a conceptual analysis of the concept of ‘information crisis.’ From this analysis, we argue that an ‘information crisis’ framing is typically used to either establish the status quo, through centring challenges to established information ecosystems, or maintain the status quo, by outlining the operations needed to renew or protect these landscapes. These findings illustrate how ‘information crisis’ can obscure the very contexts of inequality and injustice through which crisis operates and delimits the possibility of changing/disrupting the status quo.