IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bla/jinfst/v75y2024i7p844-858.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

I'm the same, I'm the same, I'm trying to change: Investigating the role of human information behavior in view change

Author

Listed:
  • Dana McKay
  • Stephann Makri
  • Marisela Gutierrez‐Lopez
  • Colin Porlezza
  • Andrew Macfarlane
  • Glenda Cooper
  • Sondess Missaoui

Abstract

Information is powerful; it can influence peoples' views and, in turn, their behavior. Much recent research and discussion on the role information plays in view change has focused on filter bubbles, echo chambers and misinformation and how they might influence what people think and how they act. However, no prior work has focused specifically on understanding the human information behavior (HIB) that drives and facilitates view change. We report findings from interviews with 18 people who recently changed views on issues they considered important. We found a tight symbiotic relationship between HIB and view change; passive information encountering sparked change, often spurring follow‐up active seeking and verification which progressed the change to a “point of no return,” supported making the change and reinforced the decision to change. When shared, information that contributed to the change sometimes sparked changes in others (as did expressing or debating the change), serving as an information encounter that perpetuated a cycle of HIB and view change. This understanding of the integral role of HIB in view change can inform policy and systems design to promote view change autonomy and a broader research agenda of understanding HIB to support democratic principles and values.

Suggested Citation

  • Dana McKay & Stephann Makri & Marisela Gutierrez‐Lopez & Colin Porlezza & Andrew Macfarlane & Glenda Cooper & Sondess Missaoui, 2024. "I'm the same, I'm the same, I'm trying to change: Investigating the role of human information behavior in view change," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 75(7), pages 844-858, July.
  • Handle: RePEc:bla:jinfst:v:75:y:2024:i:7:p:844-858
    DOI: 10.1002/asi.24885
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.24885
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/asi.24885?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Donald O. Case & Lisa G. O'Connor, 2016. "What's the use? Measuring the frequency of studies of information outcomes," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 67(3), pages 649-661, March.
    2. Lo Lee & Melissa G. Ocepek & Stephann Makri, 2022. "Information behavior patterns: A new theoretical perspective from an empirical study of naturalistic information acquisition," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(4), pages 594-608, April.
    3. Ian Ruthven, 2022. "An information behavior theory of transitions," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(4), pages 579-593, April.
    4. Carol C. Kuhlthau, 1991. "Inside the search process: Information seeking from the user's perspective," Journal of the American Society for Information Science, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 42(5), pages 361-371, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kevin Wong & Geoff Walton & Gavin Bailey, 2021. "Using information science to enhance educational preventing violent extremism programs," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(3), pages 362-376, March.
    2. Morten Hertzum, 2023. "Information seeking by experimentation: Trying something out to discover what happens," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(4), pages 383-387, April.
    3. Tim Gorichanaz, 2020. "Understanding and Information in the Work of Visual Artists," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 71(6), pages 685-695, June.
    4. Xu, Minya & Wang, Yaqiong & Tu, Yundong, 2021. "Uncovering the invisible effect of air pollution on stock returns: A moderation and mediation analysis," Finance Research Letters, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
    5. Zhang, Yin & Lu, Baozhou & Zheng, Haidong, 2020. "Can buzzing bring business? Social interactions, network centrality and sales performance: An empirical study on business-to-business communities," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 112(C), pages 170-189.
    6. Jinxuan Ma & Brady Lund, 2021. "The evolution and shift of research topics and methods in library and information science," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(8), pages 1059-1074, August.
    7. Erik Choi & Chirag Shah, 2016. "User motivations for asking questions in online Q&A services," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 67(5), pages 1182-1197, May.
    8. Fereshteh Ghahramani & Jingguo Wang, 2020. "Impact of Smartphones on Quality of Life: A Health Information Behavior Perspective," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 22(6), pages 1275-1290, December.
    9. Jan M. Gutteling & Peter W. de Vries, 2017. "Determinants of Seeking and Avoiding Risk‐Related Information in Times of Crisis," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 37(1), pages 27-39, January.
    10. Pianran Wang & Yue Ma & Huan Xie & Hanqing Wang & Jinyi Lu & Jianhua Xu, 2022. "“There is a gorilla holding a key on the book cover”: Young children's known picture book search strategies," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(1), pages 45-57, January.
    11. Jin Ha Lee, 2010. "Analysis of user needs and information features in natural language queries seeking music information," Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 61(5), pages 1025-1045, May.
    12. Persson, Olle, 2010. "Identifying research themes with weighted direct citation links," Journal of Informetrics, Elsevier, vol. 4(3), pages 415-422.
    13. Aira Huttunen & Terttu Kortelainen, 2021. "Meaning‐making on gender: Deeply meaningful information in a significant life change among transgender people," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(7), pages 799-810, July.
    14. Chen, Jiawen & Liu, Linlin, 2023. "Social media usage and entrepreneurial investment: An information-based view," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 155(PB).
    15. Franklin Riley & David K. Allen & Thomas Daniel Wilson, 2022. "When politicians and the experts collide: Organization and the creation of information spheres," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(8), pages 1127-1139, August.
    16. Árni Már Einarsson & Morten Hertzum, 2021. "How do makers obtain information for their makerspace projects?," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 72(12), pages 1528-1544, December.
    17. Annie T. Chen, 2022. "Interactions between affect, cognition, and information behavior in the context of fibromyalgia," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(1), pages 31-44, January.
    18. Vera Granikov & Reem El Sherif & France Bouthillier & Pierre Pluye, 2022. "Factors and outcomes of collaborative information seeking: A mixed studies review with a framework synthesis," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 73(4), pages 542-560, April.
    19. Ian Ruthven, 2024. "Information shaping," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 75(4), pages 469-482, April.
    20. Xin Bao & Ping Ke, 2023. "Chaos, expansion, and contraction: The information worlds of depression patients during the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 74(8), pages 971-989, August.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bla:jinfst:v:75:y:2024:i:7:p:844-858. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.asis.org .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.