Information Ecology Research Articles

Generation paths of online public opinion impact in public health emergency: a fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis based on Chinese data.

Public health emergencies can quickly provoke alarm and shock in the society, as well as generate high-impact online public opinion through network fermentation. Analyzing the generation mechanism of online public opinion in public health emergencies helps to explain its characteristics and laws. Based on information ecology theory, seven indicators from the four dimensions of information person, information, information technology, and information environment are extracted, and the analysis framework of public opinion impact of public health emergencies is constructed. Taking 40 cases from China as samples, fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is used to investigate the generation path and mechanism of online public opinion impact in public health emergency. The results suggest that: information person and information technology are the core conditions for the generation of high-impact online public opinion, but the harm level contained in the information itself is not sensitive to the generation of public opinion impact; there are four generation paths and three types that drive the generation of high-impact online public opinion in public health emergencies. This work enriches the cognition of the causality of public opinion impact in public health emergencies from the perspective of configuration, and clearly shows which combination of variables leads to high-impact online public opinion, and helps to prevent and reduce the risk of public opinion.

Research on Influencing Factors of Users’ Sharing Intention in Health Science Popularization Short Videos

With the rapid development of the short video industry, various vertical fields of short videos have also emerged, and the medical and health field has received widespread attention. Famous doctors, public hospitals, and health institutions have joined short video platforms to publish health science popularization short videos and spread health knowledge. To improve the dissemination of health information, this study combines elaboration likelihood model and information ecology theory to construct a factor model of users’ willingness to share health science popularization short videos to help spread Health Science Popularization Short Videos.

Self-Organization and Governance in Digital Platform Ecosystems: An Information Ecology Approach

Self-Organization and Governance in Digital Platform Ecosystems: An Information Ecology Approach

Study of chronic health influencing factors and their preventive measures for divers based on big data analysis in diving medicine

Abstract Diving decompression sickness is an occupational chronic disease that seriously threatens the life and safety of divers, which is hidden, lasts for a long time, and causes more serious harm. The clinical manifestations are complex, including joint pain, muscle pain, rash, fatigue, headache, coma, and so on. This paper explores the value formation mechanism of chronic disease health management based on big data based on information ecology chains and dissipative structures. A total of 1036 divers engaged in diving and fishing operations are being taken as experimental subjects in the chronic disease health management big data platform using a stratified whole-group sampling method. XGBoost algorithm was used to establish the risk assessment model of chronic decompression sickness for divers. And it was applied to the clinic for example, to analyze the effectiveness of the model for chronic health prevention in divers. The results show that the model has a predictive performance AUC value of 0.8102 in 5-fold cross-validation, which can be used for chronic health risk assessment of large-scale diving populations by medical personnel to guide early diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of chronic health in divers.

Hydrological modeling for the discharge production in an experimental area of the Guayas river basin, Ecuador

Hydrological simulation is a vital issue within the comprehensive management of hydrographic basins, with estimates being an input for decision-making by territorial managers. The objective of the current study is to conduct the hydrological modeling of an experimental basin of the Guayas River, where the discharge of the Baba River will be simulated using the HEC-HMS hydrological modeler. Hereby, the morphometric and hydrological modeling of the basin was performed from a global DEM (ASTER GDEM) in an environment of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) complemented with the analysis of thematic coverage of land types and uses as well as of precipitation data for the sector. The simulation of the discharge of the experimental basin determined that twenty percent of the precipitation that fell in the time window of analysis generated direct runoff and the residual eighty percent is attributed to abstractions. This is a condition that is given by the presence of agricultural crops corresponding to seventy percent forest masses, native forest and shrubby vegetation, as well as by the interception processes as well as water catchment systems in the urban area. The adequate results obtained in the application of the HEC - HMS model are based on the previous work of physical and hydrological characterization of the basin expressed through the physiographic structure of the basin and the valorization of the parameters that characterize the hydrological processes. This research tends to be useful for small hydrographic basins in Ecuador that play an important role in the ecosystem and lack of hydrometeorological information.

Artificial intelligence in the information ecosystem: Affordances for everyday information seeking

AbstractIn this conceptual article, we argue that artificial intelligence (AI) systems are contributing to the generation of an environment of affordances for everyday information practices through which they exert influence on people and the planet in ways that often are left unrecognized. We illustrate our insights by focusing on the practices of information seeking in everyday life, suggesting that the affordances of AI systems integrated into search engines, social media platforms, streaming services, and media generation, shape such practices in ways that may, paradoxically, result both in the increase and reduction of diversity of and access to information. We discuss the potential implications of these developments in terms of the sustainability of information ecosystems and suggest solutions for addressing them through regulation and education. Drawing from the fields of library and information science and science and technology studies and research on affordances, everyday information practices, and sustainability, the article seeks to respond to the need for more nuanced theoretical insights on the impact and implications of AI on information practices and to develop conceptual tools with which to examine the co‐evolution of humans and information systems from a systemic perspective.

Dziennikarze na cyfrowych sterydach

Journalists on digital steroids The article is a media studies analysis of the processes and mechanisms of digitization as the main cause of the technological convergence from print to digital, which transformed all media, creating a new architecture of communication. The place of the old corporate media order was taken by a dozen competing concepts forming a fragmented networked media landscape. The research goal of the article is to answer the questions of how this transition from print to digital affects the status of the journalistic profession: first, what is the impact of digital on the information ecosystem and the journalist’s position in it? second, is there a relationship between the medium of press material and its quality? third, has digital acted as a steroid to accelerate the intensity of journalistic activity? These important and complex problems of modern journalism, put in the form of a metaphorical shortcut – “digital steroids” – are the subject of research in this publication.

Unmasking the Deepfake Infocalypse: Debunking Manufactured Misinformation with a Prototype Model in the AI Era “Seeing and hearing, no longer believing.”

Machine learning and artificial intelligence in Journalism are aid and not a replacement or challenge to a journalist’s ability. Artificial intelligence-backed fake news characterized by misinformation and disinformation is the new emerging threat in our broken information ecosystem. Deepfakes erode trust in visual evidence, making it increasingly challenging to discern real from fake. Deepfakes are an increasing cause for concern since they can be used to propagate false information, fabricate news, or deceive people. While Artificial intelligence is used to create deepfakes, the same technology is also used to detect them. Digital Media literacy, along with technological deepfake detection tools, is an effective solution to the menace of deepfake. The paper reviews the creation and detection of deepfakes using machine learning and deep learning models. It also discusses the implications of cognitive biases and social identity theories in deepfake creation and strategies for establishing a trustworthy information ecosystem. The researchers have developed a prototype deepfake detection model, which can lay a foundation to expose deepfake videos. The prototype model correctly identified 35 out of 50 deepfake videos, achieving 70% accuracy. The researcher considers 65% and above as “fake” and 65% and below as “real”. 15 videos were incorrectly classified as real, potentially due to model limitations and the quality of the deepfakes. These deepfakes were highly convincing and flawless. Deepfakes have a high potential to damage reputations and are often obscene or vulgar. There is no specific law for deepfakes, but general laws require offensive/fake content to be taken down. Deepfakes are often used to spread misinformation or harm someone’s reputation. They are designed to harass, intimidate, or spread fear. A significant majority of deepfake videos are pornographic and target female celebrities

Do fossil fuel firms reframe online climate and sustainability communication? A data-driven analysis

Identifying drivers of climate misinformation on social media is crucial to climate action. Misinformation comes in various forms; however, subtler strategies, such as emphasizing favorable interpretations of events or data or reframing conversations to fit preferred narratives, have received little attention. This data-driven paper examines online climate and sustainability communication behavior over 7 years (2014–2021) across three influential stakeholder groups consisting of eight fossil fuel firms (industry), 14 non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and eight inter-governmental organizations (IGOs). We examine historical Twitter interaction data (n = 668,826) using machine learning-driven joint-sentiment topic modeling and vector autoregression to measure online interactions and influences amongst these groups. We report three key findings. First, we find that the stakeholders in our sample are responsive to one another online, especially over topics in their respective areas of domain expertise. Second, the industry is more likely to respond to IGOs’ and NGOs’ online messaging changes, especially regarding environmental justice and climate action topics. The fossil fuel industry is more likely to discuss public relations, advertising, and corporate sustainability topics. Third, we find that climate change-driven extreme weather events and stock market performance do not significantly affect the patterns of communication among these firms and organizations. In conclusion, we provide a data-driven foundation for understanding the influence of powerful stakeholder groups on shaping the online climate and sustainability information ecosystem around climate change.

An overview of the 2023 NISO Plus Conference: Global conversations/global connections

This paper offers an overview of some of the highlights of the 2023 NISO Plus Annual Conference that was held virtually from February 14–February 16, 2023. This was the fourth such conference and the third to be held in a completely virtual format due to the global impact of COVID-19. These conferences have resulted from the merger of NISO and the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS) in June 2019, replacing the NFAIS Annual Conferences and offering a new, more interactive format. As with prior years, there was no general topical theme (although the importance of metadata was a common thread throughout), but there were topics of interest for everyone working in the information ecosystem - from the practical subjects of standards, archiving, digital preservation, Open Science, and Open Access. With speakers and attendees from around the world and across multiple time zones and continents, it truly was a global conversation!

Evolutionary game analysis of information service quality control of e-commerce platforms under information ecology

Due to the information asymmetry and imperfect supervision system, the problem of information service quality of e-commerce platforms is becoming increasingly prominent. Based on the perspective of information ecology, this paper constructs a three-party evolutionary game model including merchants, e-commerce platforms and governments, and analyzes the dynamic process of the three-party game under bounded rationality, thereby characterizing the behavior and optimal strategies of information service quality control. We carry out numerical simulation using data of the Pinduoduo platform. The results show that the cost of each party, control strength of e-commerce platforms, proportion of margin deducted and other factors are important factors affecting the quality of information service; Only when the sum of the costs of passive management of e-commerce platforms, penalties for merchants, and the additional revenue generated from the active management exceeds the cost of the active management of the e-commerce platforms, it ensures effective control over the quality of information service in a stable market environment. Finally, some suggestions are put forward to optimize the e-commerce information service quality control.

Understanding voice‐based information uncertainty: A case study of health information seeking with voice assistants

AbstractEvaluating information quality online is increasingly important for healthy decision‐making. People assess information quality using visual interfaces (e.g., computers, smartphones) with visual cues like aesthetics. Yet, voice interfaces lack critical visual cues for evaluating information because there is often no visual display. Without ways to assess voice‐based information quality, people may overly trust or misinterpret information which can be challenging in high‐risk or sensitive contexts. This paper investigates voice information uncertainty in one high‐risk context—health information seeking. We recruited 30 adults (ages 18–84) in the United States to participate in scenario‐based interviews about health topics. Our findings provide evidence of information uncertainty expectations with voice assistants, voice search preferences, and the audio cues they use to assess information quality. We contribute a nuanced discussion of how to inform more critical information ecosystems with voice technologies and propose ways to design audio cues to help people more quickly assess content quality.

The Role of the Alliance of Independent Journalist (AJI) Palembang in Dealing with Hacking and Disinformation of Journalist

In the midst of the rampant hacking and disinformation efforts of journalists. The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Palembang continues to work on preventing hacking and disinformation, with the dynamics of rapid information transformation. Professional journalists are demanded not to get caught up in disinformation. The challenge of dealing with this problem is getting tougher when the onslaught of social media (Medsos) occurs. Social media is a public space for exchanging opinions and information which is very popular at this time. This is a challenge for the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) Palembang in determining the initial steps that must be taken in the role of preventing and protecting journalists who have experienced hacking and disinformation. Researchers used qualitative methods through documentation, observation and interview approaches. From the results of the research that has been done, it can be concluded that the role of AJI in dealing with hacking and disinformation is through the workings of the press. This step is consistently carried out by AJI considering that hacking and disinformation are also often used to undermine press freedom or the credibility of press freedom defenders.
 AJI's goal is none other than to support a healthy information ecosystem for the public. In accordance with the Press Law number 40 of 1999, journalists have freedom in carrying out journalistic work. So there must be efforts of terror and silencing. Any physical or non-physical attacks and disinformation efforts cannot be justified. AJI sharply condemned these steps. In addition, AJI also provides digital security training and seeks to advocate for every journalist affected by digital attacks or disinformation for legal settlement.

Integrated approach to the concept of “internet governance”: establishment of information systems with the use of ai tools and ensuring their development

This article offers a review of the concepts of “Internet Governance”, as well as the role of information systems and advanced technologies in them. The article attempts to analyze the barriers and threats in this direction, as well as to identify a qualitatively new pattern (“phase pattern”) of information systems in the Internet space and integrate it into the concept of “Internet Governance”. Threats such as Darknet “dark internet”, “blockchain” opposition, instability of internet connection, etc. are also given. The author cited the existing analytics on the concept of “Internet Governance”, and also formulated theoretical and applied regularity, which is important to take into account in the further development of information systems and risk assessment in the formation of international information ecosystem with the use of advanced technologies. The article provides normative-legal mechanisms of the concept realization and substantiation of its significance in the conditions of legal uncertainty. The phases of information systems development are considered in detail, as well as the characteristic features of each phase and their role in the formation of information systems. The author cited generalizing documents on the concepts of “Internet Governance” to substantiate his positions, and also considered the possibilities of information systems development, taking into account the individual national experience (operation of the “Gostech” system and other ecosystems). The article attempts to highlight the system-wide approach to information systems and the possibility of their reaching the international level within the framework of the general concept of “Internet Governance”.

The Future of Library Science Research: Tools and Databases

Abstract: Library science is a dynamic and evolving field that plays a pivotal role in the organization and dissemination of information. In this digital age, the use of research tools and databases is essential for scholars and practitioners in the library science discipline. This research article aims to provide an in-depth exploration of the ever-expanding landscape of valuable research tools and databases that have the potential to significantly enhance the quality, efficiency, and impact of library science research. As the information ecosystem continues to grow and evolve, library scientists and researchers are confronted with the challenge of navigating an increasingly complex landscape of information sources and knowledge dissemination platforms. To address this challenge, the research paper delves into a comprehensive examination of the latest research tools and databases. From advanced reference management software, such as Zotero, EndNote, and Mendeley, to powerful academic search engines, including Google Scholar, JSTOR, and ProQuest, this article presents an extensive survey of the tools that have become indispensable in the librarian's arsenal. It explores how these tools empower librarians and scholars to access, organize, and distribute information with unprecedented precision and ease.

How Fact-Checkers Define and Apply “Objective Journalism”. Cases of Study of Italy and Spain

The process of fact-checking has emerged as a specialised practice within the news media industry. This research aims to examine how fact-checkers contribute to the construction of “objectivity” through their verification practices, with a specific focus on the methods and sources that they employ. In addition, it analyses how fact-checkers distinguish themselves from traditional practices of legacy media in how they define themselves. To achieve this, we looked into two cases of study involving two fact-checkers from Italy and two from Spain. We conducted a qualitative analysis of the self-presentation of each media outlet and a content analysis of the news they published over the course of a year. The findings reveal differences between the Spanish and Italian fact-checkers in terms of the topics covered and the sources used for debunking. Despite their perceived image as champions of “journalistic purity” and advocates of “truth”, we criticise this aspect, particularly with regard to their selection of information sources. We question how the fact-checkers’ image and identity directly impact journalism and the broader information ecosystem.

Social Cognitive Theory and Willingness to Perform Recommended Health Behavior: The Moderating Role of Misperceptions

More than 6 million people have died due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to slow down the spread of COVID-19, health authorities have created numerous guidelines. In the current study, we use survey data from the U.S. and social cognitive theory (SCT) to examine the associations among self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and willingness to perform recommended COVID-19 related health behavior. Considering the misinformation-filled information ecology during the pandemic, we also examine the moderating role of misperceptions in these relationships. Our findings show that in general the SCT hypotheses hold for COVID-19 related behavior willingness. The interaction effects with COVID-19 misperceptions show that self-efficacy is not enough to understand people’s health behavior. Higher outcome expectancies are important and may be able to overcome even if people held high misperceptions. Our findings have direct implications for communication theory and for health organizations in the contemporary information ecology.

Distinct information ecologies? Gender knowledge production in German digital legacy and counterpublic media

ABSTRACT This article studies the epistemic dimension of current struggles over gender and sexual equality issues by analyzing digital media as epistemic systems transferring and producing gender knowledge. The analysis compares the representation and production of gender knowledge in German legacy and counterpublic media discourses on four dimensions related to the article-content level: media’s issue focus and their positioning toward gender issues; media’s referencing practices through hyperlinks, a unique affordance particular to digital spaces; and finally, the digital information ecologies created through these referencing practices. I conduct a quantitative content analysis and social network analysis of article content and hyperlink references in articles featuring gender issues, published in 16 German digital news outlets of legacy media and feminist, radical right, antifeminist men’s rights activist, and Christian fundamentalist counterpublic media between December 2018 and November 2019. The results show that different types of media employ different modes of gender knowledge production. Anti-egalitarian counterpublic media show a rather reactive mode of gender knowledge production, while feminist media’s mode of gender knowledge production is more autonomous. The digital information ecologies created through the references display varying levels of integration and fragmentation in relation to the mainstream public sphere, indicative of the underlying epistemic conflicts.

Investigating the effect of selective exposure, audience fragmentation, and echo-chambers on polarization in dynamic media ecosystems

The degree of polarization in many societies has become a pressing concern in media studies. Typically, it is argued that the internet and social media have created more media producers than ever before, allowing individual, biased media consumers to expose themselves only to what already confirms their beliefs, leading to polarized echo-chambers that further deepen polarization. This work introduces extensions to the recent Cognitive Cascades model of Rabb et al. to study this dynamic, allowing for simulation of information spread between media and networks of variably biased citizens. Our results partially confirm the above polarization logic, but also reveal several important enabling conditions for polarization to occur: (1) the distribution of media belief must be more polarized than the population; (2) the population must be at least somewhat persuadable to changing their belief according to new messages they hear; and finally, (3) the media must statically continue to broadcast more polarized messages rather than, say, adjust to appeal more to the beliefs of their current subscribers. Moreover, and somewhat counter-intuitively, under these conditions we find that polarization is more likely to occur when media consumers are exposed to more diverse messages, and that polarization occurred most often when there were low levels of echo-chambers and fragmentation. These results suggest that polarization is not simply due to biased individuals responding to an influx of media sources in the digital age, but also a consequence of polarized media conditions within an information ecosystem that supports more diverse exposure than is typically thought.

Structural elements and spheres of expertise: Creating a healthy ecosystem for cultural data initiatives

AbstractWhile technology affords creation of digital collections, and promises access to all, the reality is that many cultural data collections exist in a precarious ecosystem, where erratic funding, fragmented support, and disconnected expertise threaten their continued existence. As a significant branch of the broader information ecosystem, cultural data collections range in size and scope, from national institutions to bespoke local collections supported by individuals. This exploratory, qualitative study engaged cultural data experts in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom to map the broad cultural data ecosystem and to identify opportunities for healthier growth. The development and maintenance of cultural data collections requires integration across the spheres of expertise of creators, curators, subject matter experts, information science, and computing and technology. The foundational structural elements of the ecosystem include funding, policies, access to existing data, community context, and technological infrastructure. The key elements of a healthy data ecosystem are clarity of purpose, user‐focused design, sustainability, allied coproduction, and reciprocal interconnection. A healthier cultural data ecosystem means more collections and initiatives will have positive impacts for research, knowledge, and diverse communities, contributing positively to the broader information ecosystem and to society, at large.