INFS 111

Session Overview

  • Information is ubiquitous in daily life, impacting decision-making and society at large.

Session Objectives

  • Identify devices for receiving information.
  • Discuss societal use of information for control and influence.
  • Examine access discrepancies among individuals.
  • Analyze the world-changing role of information.

Session Outline

  • Daily Encounters with Information
  • Global Information Devices
  • Societal Uses of Information

Daily Encounters with Information

  • Individuals interact with information in various ways: aural, visual, tactile, olfactory, gustatory.
  • Daily activities may involve transformations of information (e.g., formats).

Information Escalation

  • Information production has drastically increased:
    • 2002: Equivalent to 37,000 libraries (Lyman & Varian, 2003).
    • 2006: Estimated digital data production reached 20 exabytes.

Gathering and Managing Information

  • Increased device usage for sending, receiving, and managing information (e.g., computers, mobile devices).