The Information Society: Some Trends and Implications

Abstract

This article deals with the question of whether the so-called `information society' really will be an informed society. It is argued that there is empirical evidence to show that information supply in modern societies rises exponentially, whereas consumption and pragmatics of information lag far behind supply. Thus, the gulf between supply of information, on the one hand, and demand for and use of information on the other, is getting broader and broader. This phenomenon may be explained partly by an autonomous tendency in information services to fill-up available production capacity. In other words, the information society is subject to the law of diminishing returns from information. The article concludes with a sketch of some implications for education, public libraries and public administration, drawing on the experience of the Netherlands.

La producción informativa bajo lupa, 1939-2010. Estado de la cuestión de las principales aportaciones teóricas críticas sobre los procesos de “fabricación” de las noticias y la influencia de los medios de comunicación / The informative production under magnifying glass, 1939-2010. State of the question of the main theoretical contributions critical about the processes of "manufacturing" of the news and the influence of the media

“…No hay que olvidar que el término sociedad de la información es de la época de los setenta, ochenta, (Ito, 1981) y fue desarrollado posteriormente a otros como el de sociedad postindustrial (Bell, 1973). En esa misma época se empezaba a percibir con fuerza como la información acababa ocupando un papel esencial dentro incluso del sistema económico (Rogers, 1986;Dordick & Wang, 1993;Melody, 1990, p. 26-27), con un incremento exponencial de su flujo (Van Cuilenburg, 1987) y unas tecnologías que permiten la interconectividad (Neuman, 1991). Esta teoría también deriva de la identificación de distintas etapas de desarrollo e influencia social de la tecnología (Rogers, 1986;Schement & Stout, 1988;Neuman, 1991;Pool, 1983) y provoca lógicamente la existencia de defensores (Enzensberger, 1979;Jankowoski et al, 1992;Winston, 1986;) y críticos (Golding, 1990;Jensen, 1988;Carey, 1988;Beninger, 1986).…”

The role of user profiles for news filtering

“…However, while the quantity of news has increased, the time available to view this news has not (van Cuilenburg, 1987). As such, news-seeking behavior satisfies different task requirements at different times.…”

The role of user profiles for news filtering

“…Most people read the newspaper, watch televised newscasts, and/or listen to radio newscasts to gain the public knowledge (Schudson, 1995) necessary to participate within their local, national, and global communities. However, while the quantity of news has increased, the time available to view this news has not (van Cuilenburg, 1987). As such, news seeking behavior satisfies different task requirements at different times.…”