Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
creation and recording process, individuals can easily enter the information arena
by writing and mass-producing their ideas via social media, blogs, and self-publish-
ing. In such cases, the discerning reader should look for the author's credentials
for writing, recognizing that a disreputable author can fabricate his qualifications as
well as his information.
Mass Production
As noted in Chapter 5, the creation, recording, and mass-production of informa-
tion have merged in the digital age. Now recording of information can be instantan-
eous with reproduction when a news reporter sends a message via social media or
a television reporter describes a news event in progress on air. Storing a research
report in a university repository that provides open access to that report also is
a merging of recording and reproduction. The lines between the two information
transfer processes, creation/recording and mass production, are blurred.
Organizations engaged in mass production of information continue to be pub-
lishers of books and journals, newspapers, television and radio stations, Web sites,
blogs, and producers of various types of media: educational and entertainment
motion pictures, audio and music recordings, photography, etc. Usually an organ-
ization engaged in mass production uses a variety of media, including traditional
printed resources and electronic resources.
In the evaluation of mass-produced information, authority continues to be a ma-
jor consideration; is the information peer-reviewed or at least reviewed internally
within the organization during the production process? Is a report of a research
project reviewed by a blind review of peers in that discipline or profession before
it is accepted for publication? Does an editor or editorial board review a newspa-
per article or recorded television interview before it is aired? Does the organization
have a reputation for accurate, unbiased reporting of research or news events?
If the persons responsible for the information are solely responsible for the con-
tent of the blog post, Web site, tweet, or article, the information consumer should
review the information with a critical eye. In this digital age, when nearly anyone
can enter the public dialogue via social media, careful scrutiny must be given to
information that is available for public consumption. Information professionals can
provide important evaluation services for the public.
Dissemination
The dissemination process has been decentralized and melded with mass
production. Dissemination includes the earlier methods of printing newspapers,
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