From information access to production: New perspectives on addressing information inequity in our digital information ecosystem

Abstract

Changes in our informational environment have brought new challenges and opportunities to address systemic issues of information inequity. Thus, when addressing systemic issues of information inequity, it is important to address it not only from the perspective of information access, as it is often considered in information science, but also from the perspective of how information objects are constructed and produced. This essay brings concerns within information science into discussion with journalism studies and critical technology studies to consider: (1) how the production of information, through the case of mainstream journalism, can create information inequity within information representations, and (2) how the dissemination and retrieval of this journalistic information through algorithmically-mediated online information systems, specifically social media and search platforms, can replicate and reinforce information inequity within a larger information ecosystem. Thus, this essay uses an interdisciplinary lens to suggest new approaches to holistically address information inequity, putting forth a conceptual framework with actionable steps to create a more equitable information ecosystem.