In a world of stigma and flow.

How youth master information in their daily lives.

Jannica Heinström

ÅboAkademi University

IN A WORLD OF STIGMA AND FLOW

ACRL INFORMATION LITERACY DEFINITION

INCORPORATE EMOTIONAL ASPECTS?

The set of integrated abilities encompassing the reflective discovery of information,

the understanding of how information is produced and valued and the use of information in creating new knowledge and

participating ethically in communities of learning.

AMANDAAmanda

Mark

THE REFLECTIVE DISCOVERY OF INFORMATION

• Serendipity• Information overload

TODAY’S YOUTH: MAJORITY OF INFORMATION RECEIVED PASSIVELY

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SERENDIPITY

• Potential of passive information acquisition

• An information literate way to acquire information?

• Not acknowledged, even considered ”wrong”?

• Creativity and innovation

INFORMATION OVERLOAD

•Cognitive and/or emotional overload

• Information literacy a key

• Youth cope with overload by avoidance

• Information literacy, boundaries and avoidance as tools

THE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW INFORMATION IS PRODUCED AND VALUED

• Experiential information

• Fear of Missing Out

EXPERIENTIAL INFORMATION

• Identification • Share with insiders

• Learn from others’ experiences• Problem-solving, ideas, comfort

FEAR OF MISSING OUT

•Others have more fun• Prevalent among youth

• 50% of youth believe others are more socially active & happy • Emotional information literacy

THE USE OF INFORMATION IN CREATING NEW KNOWLEDGE

• Stigma • Flow

25% OF EUROPEAN YOUTH: SHAME & STIGMA AS INFORMATION BARRIERS

Picture by Soragrit Wongsa, Unsplash.com Picture by Andrew Neel, Unsplash.com

STIGMA

• Information poverty•Hiding information needs

• Shame

FLOW

•Complete immersion • Playful exploration of interests

• Youth learn by ”messing around”

EVERYDAY LIFE INFORMATION MASTERING

•How people personally value and react to information and how they seek, use, manage and share information to make sense of their everyday world

• Three modes of everyday life information mastering: proactive, social and passive

• Individual difference dependent on personality and sense of coherence

FIVE FACTOR MODEL

• openness – conservativeness

• conscientiousness – easy-goingness

• extraversion – introversion

• agreeableness – competitiveness

• emotional stability – instability

SENSE OF COHERENCE

•Comprehensibility: everyday life makes cognitively sense.

•Manageability: one has the needed resources to deal with life’s challenges.

•Meaningfulness: it is worth to invest time and energy in coping with life’s challenges.

PROACTIVEEVERYDAY LIFE INFORMATION MASTERING

• Curious

• Persistent

• Integrate information

• Conscientious, open and

emotionally stable youth with

a high sense of coherence

SOCIALEVERYDAY LIFE INFORMATION MASTERING

• Social media centered

• Experiential information

• Fear of missing out

• Outgoing youth with

a high sense of coherence

PASSIVEEVERYDAY LIFE INFORMATION MASTERING

• Overwhelmed

• Stigma

• High negative emotionality

with a low sense of coherence

CONCLUSIONS

•What is information literacy?•Who is information literate?

•Mark? Amanda? • Should information literacy

include emotional aspects?

• Awareness of individual differences?

THANK YOU FOR YOUR

ATTENTION!

Welcome to contact me at: jheinstr@abo.fi

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