Infostorms

It has become a truism that we live in so-called information societies where new information technologies have made information abundant. At the same time, information science has made us aware of many phenomena tied to the way we process information. This article explores a series of socio-epistemi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Metaphilosophy 2013-04, Vol.44 (3), p.301-326
Main Authors: Hansen, Pelle G., Hendricks, Vincent F., Rendsvig, Rasmus K.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
belief polarization
Historical studies (History of philosophy. History of ideas)
information
Information technology
informational cascades
Mind and body. Personal identity
Philosophy
Philosophy of science
pluralistic ignorance
SYMPOSIUM: EDITOR'S CUT: THE FUTURE OF PHILOSOPHICAL RESEARCH ACCORDING TO JOURNAL EDITORS
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Summary:It has become a truism that we live in so-called information societies where new information technologies have made information abundant. At the same time, information science has made us aware of many phenomena tied to the way we process information. This article explores a series of socio-epistemic information phenomena resulting from processes that track truth imperfectly: pluralistic ignorance, informational cascades, and belief polarization. It then couples these phenomena with the hypothesis that modern information technologies may lead to their amplification so as to give rise to what are called "infostorms." This points to the need for studying further the exact relations between information technologies and such infostorms, as well as the ways we may design technologies to avoid being misled away from what we have good reasons to believe.
ISSN:0026-1068
1467-9973
DOI:10.1111/meta.12028