Abstract:

In the first part of the paper, similar to the biological world, it describes the information evolution in which there are also three basic mechanisms: duplication, variation, and selection (or elimination). A formal definition of semantic information is given, by which the process of information ecology, about duplication, variation and elimination, can be represented more clearly. At the same time, the paper analyzes the distinguishing features and dynamics in information evolution, such as the role of “surprise” in semantic information, the demand of information for communication, etc., and takes WeChat as an example to illustrate the great role of communication effectiveness in the evolution information.
The second part of this paper emphasizes the significance on the information evolution. First of all, since Shannon information theory “lost” the “meaning “of information, it must be taken back, and put into the true nature of information, which is called by the author as “Evolution Information Theory (EIT)”. Then, in the context of Big Data, based on K. Popper’s theory of knowledge about “Three Worlds”, the new three worlds (EITW1, EITW2, and EITW3) are introduced and discussed. At last, a brief description of the possible future of information evolution is given, and especially pointed out that the Big Data, as the EITW3 main body, has a special resource function in the evolution of information.

Key words: Information evolution, Big data, Evolution information theory(EIT), EIT 3 W Theory