Information 2.0: New Models of Information Production, Distribution and Consumption

Citation

Dalby, A. (2013), "Information 2.0: New Models of Information Production, Distribution and Consumption", Library Management, Vol. 34 No. 1/2, pp. 141-142. https://doi.org/10.1108/01435121311298342

Information 2.0 is a clear and concise overview of a range of issues relating to the new ways in which society is interacting with information. The book's stated audience is primarily LIS students, reinforced by the “Questions to think about” at the end of each chapter, however the likely audience could include those LIS professionals who may find themselves needing to play catch up. Information professionals who have been actively following this space for the last few years may find little new information here, but that does not mean there is not a need for the book.

The author has a confident voice; he writes using accessible language, not overly academic prose. There is recognition of the complexity of the issues at play, and at no point does he appear to be pushing one agenda over another. The book is structured using chapters covering information production, storage, distribution and consumption – a useful structure for a complex topic.

Examining information production gives the author a chance to discuss blogs and the impact that an easily accessible method of mass media self‐publication is having on traditional media outlets. From there the discussion flows to wikis and collaborative publishing, making the point that while blogs are part of the evolutionary path from formal publication, wikis (and sites like Wikipedia) are revolutionary, in that the hierarchy of information validity is flattened and the business model overturned.

Interesting aspects of the impact of web 2.0 on business and marketing are explored. The author points out, for example, that “Once a book or newspaper has been sold it is extremely difficult and often expensive for the publisher to know who has bought their content and what they are doing with it” – contrast this with the tracking abilities of digital files, and the fundamental nature of the change reveals itself. This chapter does a good job of showing the links between the theoretical idea of big data and what the totality of, for example, Facebook's user data might actually be. It is scary stuff.

The chapter on storage provides a forum to discuss how libraries might use data in ways similar to commercial entities – we know that metadata is the love of both librarians and marketing professionals. The Data Liberation Front is discussed, which allows the author to explore the issue of extracting personal data from web 2.0 tools if you decide to leave them. The author briefly touches on the question of social media tools as historian – beyond the Facebook memorial page, can or will social media organisations retain data that can be used by future historians? Will they make it available, what will the cost be, and how does this intersect with privacy issues?

It is in the section on information distribution that the historical information presented in the book really comes into its own. The author is able to articulate how the present‐day internet developed, what the steps were along the way, and, most importantly, the significance of each of those steps. Through the description of the internet's underlying architecture and the author's tracing of the speed of adoption, we can see that there are various elements of the internet as we know it that make it successful – and that trying to return to a world of fully mediated content will stifle freedom, innovation and growth.

That is not to say that there are not powerful players that are fighting against this idea. The author talks about elements of the web that are increasingly mediated, through the use of services like Amazon, iTunes and PayPal – it is become hard to avoid using these services, and once you are in, well, it is just easier to stay there. Hence despite an explosion of choice, consumer behaviour does tend towards using a smaller number of services; should we be fighting against this urge, to preserve freedom of choice?

The chapter on information consumption spends a long time making a fairly simple but important point: usability is key. Most internet users are not interested in the best digital content, but the easiest. We learn this in our information seeking behaviour classes, but we seem to need constant reminding. When it comes to which search tool to use, which online service to select, which ereader device to purchase, consumers will select the option that provides them with the easiest method of accessing and using the information. We need to keep that in mind when it comes to providing online and electronic services to our library clients.

Some discussions are stronger than others. The author does a fantastic job of looking at the impact of web 2.0 on public sector information, recognising that it is not just about how governments distribute information to their citizens, but that web 2.0 tools can have an impact on how citizens communicate with and influence government. However the author gives only fleeting treatment to the idea of libraries lending ebooks, completely overlooking existing services such as Overdrive. Surely this issue is of direct interest to his target audience?

The book's biggest weakness is its format, which the author acknowledges in the preface. To write a print monograph publication about changes in information distribution and consumption is risky, and hanging a lantern on it does not remove the risks. It means that figures, percentages, values and much of the detail in the book is out of date. The author may have done better to stick to the theoretical rather than the detailed argument, given how quickly those details change.

Despite the weakness of the format for this topic, the book is a good read, and the use of discussion topics at the end of each chapter shows that the author's purpose is not to be the font of all knowledge on the topic, but to get us thinking about the issues that it raises for us as information professionals. I believe he will be successful.