INFORMATION ABOUT INFORMATION

To minimize the use of low-quality information it needs to know (SRPM):

1. Sings of presence of low-quality information. We have already dealt with this.

2. Reasons of low-quality arising.

3. Possibilities of low-quality information arising (under what circumstances, in what situations it occurs).

4. Methods for identifying low-quality information.

Let’s start with reasons. The low-quality information arises as a result of both intentional and unintentional reasons.

Intentional reasons arise when the goals of the information provider differ from the goals of the information recipient. A typical example was considerate by D. Stiglitz when describing relations arising between employer and employee when hiring, when employee seeks to exaggerate his abilities.

I will give several types of intentional reasons and list is not exhaustive. These are reasons that have as their goal for the provider of information:

• to avoid punishment or censure, or other unpleasant moments;

•   irresponsibility, i.e. when a person can provide quality information but doesn’t want to do so;

•  to harm enemies and foes;

•  not to cause harm or suffering to anyone;

•  to present oneself in a better light;

•  to receive material (career) or moral benefit.

Unintentional causes are grouped according to the criterion of not being related with the goal of the provider or source of information.

The term “provider of information” is rarely used. The term “source of information” is usually used. On my opinion it is useful to distinguish between these terms. The provider of information is the person who directly transmits information to the recipient. The source of information is the first person in the chain of information.

I deliberately used only term “person” here and not a book, database or internet and etc. because ultimately behind all sources there is a person – alive or dead.

Often mixing these concepts leads to the use of low-quality information in the decision-making process, since the information provider transmit low-quality information from the source (unconsciously or consciously) or distorts quality information. At the same time, the term “information provider” is not very harmonious and is associated more with the material world than with the world of information. Therefore, it could be replaced by the term “source” and term “source” by “original source”.  

It is important to determine in the process of working with information whether the information provider is its source or the original source.

The following are included in the group of unintentional reasons:

1. Misunderstanding of what information is needed by the recipient of information, which most often arises from the recipient’s general formulation of the information need. In this case it is necessary to either detail information need or ensure that source of information understand for what purposes the recipient needs this information.

2. Inattention.

3. Lack of knowledge and skills (professionalism, competence). This is primarily due to the ability to search for and transform information.

4. Construction of incorrect parainformations (incorrect assumptions). 

5. Use of low-quality information in case if the information source does not match the original source.

However, the reasons of low-quality information arising we will know post factum, i.e. after we have discovered low-quality information. Our task is somewhat different – how to detect low-quality information before the decision is made on its basis or new information is generated. To do this it is necessary to know the possibilities of occurrence of low-quality information.  

These possibilities, i.e. conditions that contribute to the emergency of reasons for the appearance of such information are follows:

1. The existence of facts of low-quality information providing in the past.

2. The lack of knowledge and skills (professionalism) as well as responsibility. The case when the reason and possibility coincide.

3. The lack of information verification (in the case if it can be done).

4. The existence of goals of the information provider that differ from the goals of the information recipient. This was also mentioned as a reason. This opportunity becomes a reason when it is realized, although it may not be realized.

5. The inability of recipient to verify the information.

6. Lack of time for the source of information to perform the received task – the less time, the greater opportunity.

7. The existence of intermediate links in the chain of information transfer. Here the dependence is simple – the more of these links, the greater the opportunity.

8. The lack of direct information forcing one to make assumptions (parainformation).

Now we can build the algorithm of action to get rid of low-quality information. Having received the information, you must, first, check it for the signs of low-quality information. Secondly, if there are no signs you must think about the existence of the opportunities of low-quality information arising (OLQIA). If you have concluded such opportunity exists, i.e. there is suspicion the piece of information may be low-quality (say, the employee who was late was lying earlier, and there is penalty for being late) or there are signs of the existing if low-quality information, then you need to check the information received using 4 methods of checking information for quality.

Information about these methods you can find in the next sections.