Information: Objective or subjective/situational?

Birger Hjørland

Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 2007, vol. 58, issue 10, 1448-1456

Abstract: This article contrasts Bates' understanding of information as an observer–independent phenomenon with an understanding of information as situational, put forward by, among others, Bateson, Yovits, Spang‐Hanssen, Brier, Buckland, Goguen, and Hjørland. The conflict between objective and subjective ways of understanding information corresponds to the conflict between an understanding of information as a thing or a substance versus an understanding of it as a sign. It is a fundamental distinction that involves a whole theory of knowledge, and it has roots back to different metaphors applied in Shannon's information theory. It is argued that a subject‐dependent/situation specific understanding of information is best suited to fulfill the needs in information science and that it is urgent for us to base Information Science (IS; or Library and Information Science, LIS) on this alternative theoretical frame.

Date: 2007
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