Knowledge is central in today's society and yet the conditions for acquiring knowledge has changed radically. The researchers involved will study how information is searched, used, communicated and evaluated on the Internet. Participating research groups: Information Practices: Communication, Culture and Society and Lund Univerisity Information Quality Research Group (LUIQ).
Knowledge is central in today’s society and yet the conditions for attaining it are undergoing fundamental changes regarding access to and use of digital information. Understanding this transition raises complex questions of trust, credibility and relevance that are naturally pursued in a multi-disciplinary environment. The present project unites two well-established humanities research groups with strong international presence in order to address a number of issues that bear directly on how information is searched, used, communicated and assessed on the web, focusing on the role and effects of search engines, cognitive outsourcing, online monitoring and trust.
Each issue is studied from the “internal” point of view of cultural studies and from a more “external” philosophical and cognitive perspective. The former focuses on web-based informational practices as part of cultures of information gathering, use and exchange, whereas the latter studies web-resources with regard to their actual capacity of providing knowledge about the world, as indicated by our current best theories and arguments. Added value is obtained by attending closely to the relation between these two perspectives. The research will add to our knowledge and understanding e.g. of the role of search engines in a democratic society and the cognitive and educational effects of relying on social media, paving the way for society to take a more active role in shaping our common digital future.