Informational Health --Toward the Reduction of Risks in the Information Space

TL;DR

This paper introduces the concept of informational health, emphasizing the importance of balanced information consumption to mitigate risks like misinformation and infodemics, and proposes strategies to promote a healthier information environment.

Contribution

It presents the novel concept of informational health and proposes strategies such as literacy education, visualization, and assessments to improve information ecosystem sustainability.

Findings

Highlights risks of misinformation and infodemics in the digital age

Proposes strategies to foster informational health and improve information literacy

Calls for a paradigm shift towards sustainable information consumption

Abstract

The modern information society, markedly influenced by the advent of the internet and subsequent developments such as WEB 2.0, has seen an explosive increase in information availability, fundamentally altering human interaction with information spaces. This transformation has facilitated not only unprecedented access to information but has also raised significant challenges, particularly highlighted by the spread of ``fake news'' during critical events like the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the COVID-19 pandemic. The latter event underscored the dangers of an ``infodemic,'' where the large amount of information made distinguishing between factual and non-factual content difficult, thereby complicating public health responses and posing risks to democratic processes. In response to these challenges, this paper introduces the concept of ``informational health,'' drawing an analogy between dietary habits and information consumption. It argues that just as balanced diets are crucial for physical health, well-considered nformation behavior is essential for maintaining a healthy information environment. This paper proposes three strategies for fostering informational health: literacy education, visualization of meta-information, and informational health assessments. These strategies aim to empower users and platforms to navigate and enhance the information ecosystem effectively. By focusing on long-term informational well-being, we highlight the necessity of addressing the social risks inherent in the current attention economy, advocating for a paradigm shift towards a more sustainable information consumption model.