An Introduction to Information Studies: Datifying People, Places, and Things

We live our entire lives in an information society, but too frequently feel like we are rushing to catch up with the latest technological changes. Despite the overwhelming influence of information networks and their potential as tools for social change, many find it difficult to put these changes into a broader sociotechnical context.

An Introduction to Information Studies is a cutting-edge introductory textbook which provides a broad survey of the field. Weaving together important insights from information science, history, regulation and culture, the text frames the social changes that have marked the first decades of the twenty-first century, and highlights some of the most significant issues we face today. Topics covered include organization, search, metadata, knowledge, open standards, and AI. The text provides a starting point for understanding the connective threads that guide technologies, and the relationships between social power and technological change that remain constant in relation to information. Understanding these relationships is essential to engaging ethically with large-scale social data systems, and to shaping our collective futures.

Full of accessible examples and pedagogical features, An Introduction to Information Studies is a field-defining textbook for undergraduates in information studies, social data science, and information and communication fields more generally. It is also an important resource for scholars, policymakers, artists and engineers.

Alexander Halavais is Associate Professor of Social Data Science at Arizona State University.