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The dark side of information: can digital literacy shine a light ?. David Bawden City University London. The dark side of information. Paradoxes, pathologies and general bad behaviour Isn’t information always a good thing ?. Too much information?. Information overload Reference overload
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The dark side of information: can digital literacy shine a light ? David Bawden City University London
The dark side of information Paradoxes, pathologies and general bad behaviour Isn’t information always a good thing ?
Too much information? • Information overload • Reference overload • Cognitive overload • Continuous partial attention • Technostress
It’s making me ill • Information anxiety • Library anxiety • Infobesity • Information avoidance • Bad satisficing
Paradox of choice • How much jam is enough ? • I’ll maximise if I want to !
Web 2 and the end of the world • Cult of the amateur • Loss of identity • Shallow novelty • Impermanence
Are these problems real ? Not many thorough surveys A lot of anecdote and opinion All very contextual Does it matter anyway ?
If these are real problems.. • Is digital literacy part of the solution ?
Digital literacy • Idea introduced by Paul Gilster in 1997 • Now taken up by European Commission • Broader concept than ‘information literacy’
Four components of digital literacy • basics • background knowledge • central competencies • attitudes and perspectives
Digital literacy: basics • Literacy • Computer / ICT literacy
Digital literacy: background knowledge • the world of information • nature of information resources
Digital literacy: central competences • reading and understanding digital and non-digital formats • creating and communicating information • evaluating information • knowledge assembly • information literacy • media literacy
Digital literacy: attitudes and perspectives • independent learning • moral / social literacy
Proposition… • a digitally literate person would avoid the dark side • and would cope well with a changing information environment
Studies needed • Are the ‘dark side’ problems real ? • If so, in what contexts are they most damaging ? • Can increasing digital literacy help ? • What role do library / information specialists have in promoting digital literacy, and in keeping their users out of the dark ?