Information shaping

Abstract

AbstractIn this article, I explore the relationships between how humans have evolved to interact with the material world and how we interact with our information worlds. I argue that shaping processes, exemplified by how early humans created stone tools, are core ways to interact with the world that are appropriated to interact with information to create information solutions. To test these claims, I examine existing studies of information use from a shaping perspective. I finish by discussing how this evolutionary perspective to information use can benefit discussions of information behavior.