Documentation, Informaiton & Knowledge ›› 2021, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (6): 73-86.doi: 10.13366/j.dik.2021.06.073

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The Time Paradox of Information Disparity: An Empirical Study on the Boundary of Individuals’ Information World

  

  • Online:2021-11-10 Published:2022-01-13

Abstract: [Purpose/Significance]This paper explores the relationship between the daily information seeking time and individuals’ information enrichment process so as to make empirical testing for the theoretical hypothesis such as Information Cocoons.
[Design/Methodology]A large scale social investigation was conducted and 714 interviewees were involved by using the Individuals’ Information World Scale to collect necessary data. Meanwhile, relative methods such as regression analysis and mean comparison were adopted to verify the research hypothesis.[Findings/Conclusion]Firstly, an invert U relationship has been found between individuals’ daily information seeking time and their information assets. An inflection point was gained at the time of 3.9 hours. Secondly, the relationship between individuals’ daily information seeking time and their information assets was separated by the schooling time of 15 years.[Originality/Value]This study identifies the generating time and educational level threshold of Information Cocoons, which could be beneficial for information poverty alleviation.

Key words: Individuals’ information world, Daily information seeking time, Educational level, Information Cocoons, Knowledge gap