Information Consumption Theory, Methods, and Level Measurement

Author: Zhu Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-04-01
Features: This book studies the measurement of information consumption level from three aspects: theory, methods, and practice. The topic is novel, not only a hot issue in information economics research but also a research frontier in the field of information science. The book first defines the concept, then proposes the theory, derives methods from the theory, and uses these methods for measurement. The overall structure is clear, the organization is reasonable, and the discussion is systematic. Based on defining the concept of information consumption, the author studies specific content such as information products, information services, information markets, information consumers, information consumer rights, and their protection. Subsequently, classification measurement methods and overall measurement methods are proposed for these aspects, studying information consumption level measurement from both micro and macro perspectives. A large amount of detailed data is collected, and through an empirical analysis of information consumption levels in Shanxi universities, the operability of the methods is verified. With the continuous development of information technology, the attention of more and more consumers has shifted to information products and services. There is no doubt that information consumption is very important at present. The first step in any research is to clarify the research question. Information consumption refers to the process of consuming information products and services based on different goals and needs. Consumers have information needs, and businesses continuously explore what information consumers need, how they consume information, and how these consumption habits are formed. However, sometimes consumers themselves may also struggle to identify their ultimate needs, making it difficult to clarify potential information needs. Compared to material needs, information needs are primarily spiritual, so information consumers can achieve greater satisfaction than traditional consumers. Information products are an important factor in the information market, including information infrastructure and information resources. The information market is increasingly becoming a significant aspect of the information industry. Clearly, the satisfaction of information needs is achieved through information consumption—consumers with more information consumption have higher capabilities. Information consumers are those who obtain more information than general consumers to meet internal needs or solve certain problems. Information consumer behavior can be simply described as behaviors such as demand, motivation, preference, choice, and risk. The information market is the venue for transactions in information products, and research on the information market includes theories of asymmetric information and equilibrium. Information policies play a supervisory role in the information market. Currently, research on information consumption is focused on information product markets, information product sales, personalized consumer studies, and the measurement of information consumers. This book pays particular attention to the measurement of information product and service quality and the measurement of information provider behavior. There are mainly two methods for measuring information consumption: one pioneered by Polat and the other developed by the Japanese Telecommunications Research Institute (RITE). Polat divided the information sector into primary and secondary information sectors in 1977. The primary information sector directly transmits, processes, handles, and produces information, while the secondary information sector generally refers to government management departments. Current research is primarily focused on primary information sector products. The Japanese Telecommunications Research Institute uses statistical data and an indicator system to measure information consumption levels. Currently, all measurement methods for information consumption activities are related to Polat's method and RITE's method. This book studies information consumption and its level measurement, primarily exploring the theoretical system of information consumption measurement, proposing methods for measuring information consumption levels, and verifying the operability of the proposed methods through empirical analysis. The overall research of the book revolves around the measurement of information consumption:
1. The theoretical part of information consumption measurement. Chapter 1, "Overview of Information Consumption," primarily defines the connotation of information consumption and serves as the foundation for the theoretical research in later chapters. The overview divides the research content of information consumption into four parts: information products and services, information consumers, information markets, and information policies, laws, and regulations. Chapters 2, 3, and 4 specifically elaborate on information products, services, information markets, information consumer behavior, and information consumer rights and their protection, further refining the research content of information consumption. In the study of information consumption measurement methods, research focuses on methods for measuring the quality and utility of information products, related measurement methods for information service personnel, methods for measuring information consumer demand and preferences, methods for measuring the operational level of information markets, methods for measuring the level of information consumption policies, and overall measurement methods for information consumption.
2. The methodological part of information consumption measurement. In the methodological part of information consumption measurement (including Chapter 4 on classification level measurement and Chapter 5 on overall level measurement), more than 20 measurement methods are proposed. In the practical part of information consumption measurement, more than ten measurement methods are adopted to conduct an empirical analysis of information consumption levels in universities in Shanxi Province, verifying the feasibility of the measurement methods proposed in this book. However, during the specific measurement process in the practical part, certain modifications are made to the measurement methods due to the limitations of the specific data obtained. These modifications do not affect the measurement methods themselves. The structure of this book is as follows: Chapter 1, "Overview of Information Consumption," defines information consumption and proposes its differences from traditional consumption, determines the research content of information consumption, provides the practical significance of studying information consumption, and elaborates on the guiding principles for information consumption level measurement research. Chapter 2, "Information Products, Services, and Information Markets," discusses theories related to information products, information services, and information markets. Chapter 3, "Information Consumer Behavior," discusses theories related to information consumption demand, information consumption motivation, information consumption preference, information consumption choice, and information consumption risk. Chapter 4, "Information Consumer Rights and Their Protection," discusses information consumer rights, information consumption disputes and their resolution, and online information consumption contracts. Chapter 5, "Classification Level Measurement of Information Consumption," proposes methods such as the information consumption index, measurement of information product quality, measurement of information product consumption utility, related measurement of information service personnel, measurement of information service levels, measurement of information consumption demand, measurement of information consumption preference, measurement of information consumption risk, measurement of online information consumption, measurement of information market operational levels, and measurement of information consumption policy levels, based on a review of measurement methods. Chapter 6, "Overall Level Measurement of Information Consumption," studies methods for overall information consumption measurement, discussing methods such as factor synthesis, index methods, ratio methods, input-output methods, tax methods, and analytic hierarchy process methods. Chapter 7, "Empirical Analysis and Suggestions," uses factor synthesis, structural methods, and questionnaire surveys to conduct an empirical analysis of information consumption levels in universities in Shanxi Province; based on this, an estimation of the current state of information consumption in Chinese universities is provided. "Conclusion" summarizes the reliability of theoretical assumptions and the operability of measurement methods through empirical analysis.