What are the different types of information behaviour?

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What are the different types of information behaviour? My November (18th) lecture at the Higher School of Vocational Education in Wrocław.

I will talk – during the recording in the studio – about information behavior, that is, our use of sources. First of all, these are mostly already online resources. However, the study of information behavior has its origins in library science. I have already talked about the Higher School of Vocational Education in Wrocław in a previous post. Once a quarter I prepare lecture topics. Which are then recorded and made available to students of various educational courses.

Image by Freepik

Models describing our use of information

I will devote much attention to models of information use. Here I will mention two that are worth taking a closer look at when studying journalism and social communication. The 1970s and 1980s saw the development of information behavior theories and models. Such as Brenda Dervin’s Sense-Making model and Tom Wilson’s Information Seeking Behavior model, which still form the basis of much contemporary research. The Sense-Making model by Brenda Dervin focuses on how individuals make sense of information in different contexts. Central to this is the concept of the gap, or the difference between what an individual knows and what they need to know. Searching for information is building bridges of meaning in the world around us. The Information Seeking Behavior model by Tom Wilson, first presented in 1981, describes the information seeking process as a response to an individual’s information needs, which can be physiological, cognitive or emotional.

What are the different types of information behaviour? The possibilities of media semiotics

I have a research interest in semiotics and media (including information) education. Information behavior analysis, based on semiotics, provides a deeper understanding of how individuals receive, process and construct information, which is crucial in a world of data overload and multi-channel communication. I am particularly close to the concepts of Roland Barthes, the French philosopher and literary critic (1915-1980). Developing Saussure’s theories, he introduced the concept of cultural myths, which are a type of complex sign structures. These myths are cultural beliefs, values and meanings that guide the way individuals interpret information. Barthes pointed out that any sign can function at the level of denotation (literal meaning) and connotation (broader, cultural references), which leads to the fact that the way audiences interpret a sign depends on the cultural context. In the analysis of information behavior, Barthes’ work is particularly relevant, as it shows how important it is to analyze not only the immediate content, but also the hidden meanings that guide the perception of the recipient.

The Sense-Making model by Brenda Dervin focuses on how individuals make sense of information in different contexts. (…) Searching for information is building bridges of meaning in the world around us.

A biosemiotic perspective

A biosemiotic perspective on information processing by individuals also seems amazing. Jakob von Uexküll, a German biologist (1864-1944) and one of the pioneers of biosemiotics, introduced the concept of umwelt, referring to the subjective world of perception of each organism. According to his theory, each organism perceives and processes information based on its unique set of biological capabilities, which shapes the way individuals perceive reality and respond to stimuli. Also playing an important role in biosemiotics is Thomas Sebeok, a Hungarian-born American linguist (1920-2001), who developed the theory by combining it with the concept of primary modeling. Sebeok argued that all life forms, not just humans, process information through cognitive models that are biologically formed. This process ranges from simple chemical signals in cells to the more complex communication systems of animals and humans. A biosemiotic perspective therefore points out that information processing is not just an intellectual or cultural process, but one that is deeply rooted in the biological ability of organisms to understand the world through signs.

I can’t reveal more from the content of the lecture. Only for course participants.

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