Information Creation as a Process
The ARCL frame Information Creation as a Process acknowledges that information reaches us through a wide range of formats and modes of delivery. (ACRL Links to an external site.). It works closely with the Information Cycle. Different information formats are created at other times and use different formats depending on where it is located in the information is in the information cycle.
"Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method. The iterative processes of researching, creating, revising, and disseminating information vary, and the resulting product reflects these differences. " (Shahoian)
The information lifecycle follows the creation of information over time. It can start with a news event. I like to use a simple example. Here goes:
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- Your friend witnessed a car accident. They are shocked to see a major celebrity get out of the car and snaps a picture. Your friend is an eye witness to an even. They are the primary source. This event triggers the beginning of the Information Cycle timeline. (Day 1)
- This image is posted to social media with an explanation of what they witnessed. The post becomes a secondary source. No one reading the post witnessed the event firsthand. (Day 1/2)
- The social media post is forwarded many times; sometimes, a commentary is added. An influencer passes it on with a comment. It blows up online. (Day 2/3)
- This image is now moving into other forms of media such as blogs, podcasts, TV. It may now be the next day. Each time the image was forwarded, additional or different commentary may be added. As it reaches a wider audience, the image that started this cycle is now part of the narrative that may include other information such as the celebrity's profile, why this post was so popular, how social media is good, and the importance of wearing your seatbelt. (Day 2/3)
- The posts, blogs, and other sources that used this image is picked up by newspapers. They write articles that add more information to the story or follow different lines of inquiry. The photo may now be peripheral to the story. At this step, the reporter has done considerable investigation and research. Reporters follow a code of ethics
Links to an external site. that ensures their reporting is ethical and fair. (Day 3-4)
- The cycle continues. It now may include publications with longer publications cycles such as magazines published on a longer cycle such as monthly. (1 - 3 months)
- If one of the various issues covered in relation to this topic is included in academic analysis, it has entered a different phase of the information cycle. (6 month / 1 year).
- If someone writes a book on how posts from social media influence adolescents to wear seatbelts, this is another milestone in the information cycle. Books can take a year or more to be published. (1 + years)
- Your friend witnessed a car accident. They are shocked to see a major celebrity get out of the car and snaps a picture. Your friend is an eye witness to an even. They are the primary source. This event triggers the beginning of the Information Cycle timeline. (Day 1)
These steps illustrate how information and formats change as time moves away from the original event. Using my example, the information cycle has started with a shared photograph. Next, it moved to social media (commentary and photo). When it reaches the newspapers, it is now in print. Later it may be included in a magazine, and even later, a book might include the picture. Over time the interpretation of the image changes. The conversations, reflections, and other interpretations minimized a focus on the photo. Reflect on how one photograph started with the primary source and evolved to include many different variations and interpretations. All through this, one hopes to acknowledge and credited the Primary Source.
Here is an infographic timeline. On the next page are videos about the information cycle.
This is the information timeline is an important topic. It is one facet of academic research you can master. Knowing when a resources was created gives it meaning. When you select sources for our academic work, keep this in mind. How can the placement of a resource in the information timeline enhance your research?
"Information Timeline" by adstarkel is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0