Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 14.1
Differences of information behavior between online and offline
There are some differences in information behavior online and offline
(Fig.
14.1
). Offline, substance is always generating and sending information as
long as it exists in the real world although its information is not always recorded. In
contrast, most information sending through online activities is performed
intentionally, and it is possible to send information intermittently online. Recording
online information or transmitting it to a remote place is easier than doing this
offline. This is also true for searching, deleting, and duplicating information.
Next, identification information can be distinguished from general information.
Information indicating a specific substance is called identification information (ID).
If the substance in question is a man or woman, his or her name can frequently be
used as ID. However, degrees of tying between ID and substance differ by what
kind of ID is used. Although the tying is strong if a real name is used as ID, it is very
weak if the ID is no-name, that is, anonymous. In cases where ID is a pseudonym,
the degree of the tying between ID and substance is located somewhere in between
real names and anonymous. In this study, we use the word “identified” as a status
that is strongly tied between ID and substance or real name.
When an individual wants to send some information, the sender can use different
IDs, according to his or her situation. In contrast to information sending online, in
which the use of information channels is limited, there is a tendency for information
sending offline by using different IDs to become difficult because several informa-
tion channels can be used simultaneously.
14.5 Case Study: HFS in Japan
In this section, we describe a case that occurred in Japan in December, 2010.
Figure
14.2
illustrates timelines and platforms related to this case.
