The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach
Introduction. Information use and non-use have often been treated as two unequal concepts favoring information discovery, though information may not always be ‘good’ and wanted. Through a new methodological approach, this paper investigates explicit and implicit notions of the human information act...
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| Language: | English |
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University of Borås
2025-05-01
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| Series: | Information Research: An International Electronic Journal |
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| Online Access: | https://publicera.kb.se/ir/article/view/52237 |
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| _version_ | 1849326846361993216 |
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| author | Jette Seiden Hyldegård |
| author_facet | Jette Seiden Hyldegård |
| author_sort | Jette Seiden Hyldegård |
| collection | DOAJ |
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Introduction. Information use and non-use have often been treated as two unequal concepts favoring information discovery, though information may not always be ‘good’ and wanted. Through a new methodological approach, this paper investigates explicit and implicit notions of the human information actor in five models of information behaviour (IB).
Methods. The meta-ethnographic methodology by Noblit and Hare was employed in a new way to strengthen the systematic and inductive analysis of ‘meanings’ inherent in the five IB-models.
Analysis. Each model was systematically examined according to the seven meta-ethnographic phases and in an ongoing ‘dialogue’ between the model, prior writings about the model and a conceptual framework of information engagement, including information avoidance exemplifying non-use of information.
Findings. The implied actor emerging from the models (still) appeared to be driven by a need to discover, seek, find and use information to solve a problematic situation, hence, positioned as an active or passive information seeker. The outcome and the methodological potentials, barriers and limitations are discussed guiding further research.
Conclusion. The study suggests a new analytical approach to IB research fostering deeper insight into tacit and underlying notions of information behaviour affecting how we understand, study and support humans’ engagement with information.
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-8fc86252ae934faba53a61a248f940b6 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1368-1613 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | University of Borås |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Information Research: An International Electronic Journal |
| spelling | doaj-art-8fc86252ae934faba53a61a248f940b62025-08-20T03:48:02ZengUniversity of BoråsInformation Research: An International Electronic Journal1368-16132025-05-0130CoLIS10.47989/ir30CoLIS52237The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approachJette Seiden Hyldegård0Department of Communication at the University of Copenhagen Introduction. Information use and non-use have often been treated as two unequal concepts favoring information discovery, though information may not always be ‘good’ and wanted. Through a new methodological approach, this paper investigates explicit and implicit notions of the human information actor in five models of information behaviour (IB). Methods. The meta-ethnographic methodology by Noblit and Hare was employed in a new way to strengthen the systematic and inductive analysis of ‘meanings’ inherent in the five IB-models. Analysis. Each model was systematically examined according to the seven meta-ethnographic phases and in an ongoing ‘dialogue’ between the model, prior writings about the model and a conceptual framework of information engagement, including information avoidance exemplifying non-use of information. Findings. The implied actor emerging from the models (still) appeared to be driven by a need to discover, seek, find and use information to solve a problematic situation, hence, positioned as an active or passive information seeker. The outcome and the methodological potentials, barriers and limitations are discussed guiding further research. Conclusion. The study suggests a new analytical approach to IB research fostering deeper insight into tacit and underlying notions of information behaviour affecting how we understand, study and support humans’ engagement with information. https://publicera.kb.se/ir/article/view/52237Information behaviour and practicesInformation behaviourInformation avoidanceInformation actorModelsMeta-ethnographic methodology |
| spellingShingle | Jette Seiden Hyldegård The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach Information Research: An International Electronic Journal Information behaviour and practices Information behaviour Information avoidance Information actor Models Meta-ethnographic methodology |
| title | The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach |
| title_full | The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach |
| title_fullStr | The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach |
| title_full_unstemmed | The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach |
| title_short | The implied information ‘actor’ – revisiting models of information behaviour through a Meta-Ethnographic approach |
| title_sort | implied information actor revisiting models of information behaviour through a meta ethnographic approach |
| topic | Information behaviour and practices Information behaviour Information avoidance Information actor Models Meta-ethnographic methodology |
| url | https://publicera.kb.se/ir/article/view/52237 |
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