Information <em>in</em> the ecosystem: Against the “information ecosystem”

Abstract

The “information ecosystem” metaphor is widely used in academic libraries and has become nearly ubiquitous when speaking of the information systems that support scholarly communication and varied forms of data sharing and publication. The trending use of this language arises from non-academic applications — for example in big data (the Hadoop ecosystem) or software development (the node.js ecosystem) — and there remains little critical examination of the use of this metaphor. Indeed, the definition of ecosystem as the set of relations between living organisms and their surrounding non-living environment is apparently not directly a part of the metaphor. This paper first describes the emergence of ecological thinking and how it was influenced by early information science and then explores how different “ecologies” are used within the academy, including in the emergent field of information ecology. A short critique of the metaphor is then posed and the paper concludes that the information ecosystem metaphor is useful, yet at the same time there are dangerous elements that render aspects of human societies and natural ecosystems invisible.

Information: a missing component in understanding and mitigating social epidemics

“…In the same way that biological pathogens can become more or less virulent when exposed to certain selection pressures such as host density (Borovkov et al, 2013), infopathogens and memes also undergo selection for increased reproductive success (Heylighen, 1998). Vectors for infopathogens include media, social media, and advertisers (Norris and Suomela, 2017), but they are not always necessary as infopathogens can spread directly from person to person, especially when people share the same belief systems. While there is still a role of personal choice when exhibiting behaviors in a social epidemic (committing acts of violence, over-eating unhealthy food, smoking cigarettes, etc.…”

Understanding information: Adding a non‐individualistic lens

“…The idea of ecology is not new to the field of library and information science, however, this idea itself has received inadequate amounts of discussion in terms of its own conceptualization (Norris & Suomela, 2017). Apart from the term “information ecosystem,” which many times is used to provide a loose description of the complex and entangled systems of people and digital technologies, other terms exist, including the ecology of information and information ecology .…”

“…The conceptualization of information ecology has just begun rather than been realized or achieved. Some have made efforts to introduce the meanings of information ecology, but still only vaguely expressed how the concept of information ecology could be helpful (Norris & Suomela, 2017). Given that discussion and theorization of information ecology is limited in library and information science (LIS) is limited, we turn to discussions in the philosophy of information and information ethics to find more resources for understanding information ecology.…”

The ecosystem concept: a holistic approach to privacy protection

“…In this manner, Woolley considers how the law can be utilised in order to protect natural ecosystems, looking at the intricacies of the natural ecosystem and what this means for law and policy makers. Finally, others such as Mars and Bronstein (2018), Norris and Suomela (2017) and Pickett and Cadenasso (2002), have considered the potential benefits and pitfalls of utilising the ecosystem concept as a metaphor within other fields of research, in particular highlighting how its flexibility makes it beneficial to a wide range of actors (Pickett and Cadenasso 2002, 6); but, also recognising that the ability of humans to engage in rational decision-making may affect 'man-made' ecosystems in ways in which a natural ecosystem would not be, and that this should be recognised (Norris and Suomela 2017).…”