How the Information Infrastructure Has Changed in the Digital Age - Evolving Global Information Infrastructure and Information Transfer - page 78

Recording Information
New technologies have modified the recording and production processes of in-
formation transfer. For example, a news reporter can be present at an accident
scene and report her observations live via television or radio. Similarly, a reporter
might tweet an observation while observing an event. Both examples bypass the
traditional reviewing process of editors.
Formal Research
Researchers may work in teams, a departure from the traditional single re-
searcher. The team may conspire on recording results and submit findings first to
their university's repository for open access by curious readers. Again, the res-
ults may be made available (mass-produced) electronically without the filtering of
peer review; however, the research team, depending on the guidelines of the uni-
versity's repository, may submit their research report to a scholarly journal for re-
view and possible publication in an online journal.
The recording process that occurs simultaneously with creation enables re-
searchers to utilize software that displays data sets for easier analysis and com-
munication to readers. The recorded charts, graphs, or other visual information can
be included in the distribution of the report.
Popular Information Sources
Similarly, news reports from the field can be merged with graphics, music, or
file video for transmission within minutes of the first live broadcast. Technology en-
ables the merging of visuals, music, and other still and motion pictures very quickly.
Visuals can be modified easily; for example, a picture of a house can be modi-
fied structurally, and colors can be changed. In the emergent paradigm, nothing is
fixed; once recorded, information can be modified and enhanced.
Because of technological advances, it is possible to create new information in-
dependently in one's office or home. A person can start a publishing business at
home, create a Web site, or create a blog. The individual has gained independence
and potential for much more participation in the creation and recording of informa-
tion.
Reproduction of Information
Lines of division between the recording and reproduction of information have
blurred in the digital age, as noted above in the “Creation” and “Recording” sec-