science

Information criticism

Information criticism is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Information criticism rather than just read about it. In short: Information criticism (also critique of information or information critique) is understood as a transformation of critical theory to contend that today there is no longer any transcendental, objective, or privileged position from which critique or social analysis can be undertaken. If society is intrinsically informational, and the analyst is inescapably part of the society, so too must the analyst and the analysis…

Key takeaways

Information criticism belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Information criticism to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Information criticism from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Information criticism (also critique of information or information critique) is understood as a transformation of critical theory to contend that today there is no longer any transcendental, objective, or privileged position from which critique or social analysis can be undertaken. If society is intrinsically informational, and the analyst is inescapably part of the society, so too must the analyst and the analysis be informational, as tied up with and characterized by the nature of information as every other social entity or phenomenon. As Lash (2002) wrote, "The critique of information is in the information itself" (p. 220); "Information critique must be critique without transcendentals" (p. 9). Andersen (2005/2008) equates information criticism with the criticism of the functionality and legitimacy of knowledge organization systems such as bibliographies, classification systems, thesauri, encyclopedias and search engines — all systems that in some way or another mediate the recorded part of society and culture. Such knowledge organization systems are also the professional tools of librarians.

See also Source criticism Information activism

Literature Andersen, Jack (2008). Information Criticism: Where is it? In: Questioning Library Neutrality. Essays from Progressive Librarian, pp. 97-108. Edited by Alison Lewis. Library Juice Press, Duluth, Minnesota. (Reprint of Information Criticism: Where is it? Progressive Librarian, no. 25, pp. 12-22, 2005). Link Cano, Jeimy J. (2002). Critical Reflections on Information Systems: A Systemic Approach. Hershey, PA: IGI Global. Howcroft, Debra & Trauth, Eileen Moore (Eds.). (2005). Handbook of Critical Information Systems Research: Theory And Application. ISBN 978-1-84376-478-6 Lash, Scott M. (2002). Critique of Information. London: Sage. Lewis, Alison (Ed.). (2008). Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian. Duluth, MN: Library Juice Press. ISBN 978-0-9778617-7-4 Link;. Lievrouw, Leah (2004). Book review of Lash (2002): Critique of Information. The Information Society, 20, 147–148. Link Archived 2010-07-16 at the Wayback Machine. Sheppard, E. (2001). Geographic Information Systems: Critical Approaches. IN: Smelser, N. J. & Baltes, P. B. (eds.) International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences. Amsterdam: Elsevier.(pp. 6182-6185).

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Information criticism

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Information criticism claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Information criticism before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Information criticism ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Information criticism

In research: Information criticism appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Information criticism in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Information criticism is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Library science, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Information criticism outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Information criticism in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Information criticism means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Information criticism out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Information criticism in simple terms?

Why does Information criticism matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Information criticism?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Information criticism.