Information Management Basics

Author: Ma Feicheng et al. / Country:
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: As mentioned earlier, information exchange is divided into direct communication (zero-stack communication) and indirect communication (stack communication). Direct communication is completed by S and R directly transmitting information, and the process is relatively simple. Indirect communication, however, is hindered by various obstacles between the communicators (S and R), making many communication processes unable to be directly realized. Either R cannot find S, or S cannot directly find R, and since information exchange must be completed among people, the social agent phenomenon of information stacks emerges.
The social agent (or intermediary) in information exchange refers to the situation where both parties (S or R) in the communication process are unable to directly transmit information to the other (R or S). As a result, the communication behavior is transferred to the information stack in society, where the stack acts as an agent for S or R to transmit the communication information, thereby completing the exchange. The stack is called the agent (A), and stack communication is called social agent communication. A can act as an agent for both S and R to complete the information exchange.
For example, agent information producers like bookstores or technology traders accept commissions from authors or inventors to assist them in disseminating information and facilitating transactions. Agent information users like libraries or information agencies accept user (R) commissions to retrieve literature or data on their behalf. Direct communication and social agent communication (indirect communication, stack communication) are two different forms of information exchange, with completely different characteristics. Below, we analyze the differences between direct communication and social agent communication:
(1) Direct communication is a direct connection between S and R, with a purely natural and objective media system, without any social factors intervening. Examples include direct conversations between S and R, laboratory visits, product demonstrations, or the provision of experimental data or reports. In contrast, social agent communication relies on the mediation of the social system to complete the exchange, such as libraries or information centers. Direct communication is vivid, intuitive, provides rapid feedback, and has a short time interval, whereas social agent communication lacks these characteristics.
(2) In direct communication, the source information (i.e., the information provided by S) or the demand information (proposed by R) is directly communicated and is a direct connection between S or R. The content of the information is not subject to interference or control by the social system, such as in face-to-face discussions. In social agent communication, both the source and demand information must be mediated by A, and due to expression and transformation, they often change. For example, the language, expression methods, and emphasis are all influenced by A. On the other hand, many specialized social agent information agencies (such as publishers, editorial departments, abstract magazines, or information systems) have supervisory and evaluative functions over information dissemination, which is relatively rigorous. Direct communication, however, has a high degree of flexibility.
(3) When S and R communicate directly, it is always synchronous communication. In social agent communication, there is both synchronous and diachronic communication. Diachronic communication includes retrospective and prospective forms, with a much broader time and spatial scope, and can effectively match S and R, thereby improving the efficiency of information transmission.
(4) Direct communication is a relationship between S and R, while social agent communication is a relationship between S—A—R. However, the S—A—R relationship can be converted into an S—R relationship because A is an agent. For R, it acts as an agent for S, so there is S—A—R = A(S)—R. For S, it acts as an agent for R, so there is S—A—R = S—A(R). The relationships S—A(R) and A(S)—R are the same as S—R, representing a direct connection. Therefore, although we read Records of the Grand Historian, we do not say it is the Records of the Grand Historian from a certain library, but rather Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian, because the information originates from Sima Qian, and the library is merely an agent. Similarly, when we search for patent literature, we certainly know who the inventor is and do not misunderstand it as the invention of the agent.
(5) When A involves multi-level agency, based on its transmissibility, the once-level agency directly connected to it can be seen as the entire agency. For example, S’s information is first transmitted to a publisher, who acts as an agent. The publisher’s books are then mediated by a bookstore system, and the books in the bookstore are mediated by a library. Therefore, for R, the library can act as the overall agent, meaning R can view the information flow as: A(S)→R. Similarly, for S, the publisher can be seen as the overall agent for information transmission, i.e.: S→A(R).
2.2.4 Information Transmission Models
Whether it is direct communication (zero-stack communication) or indirect communication (stack communication), information transmission models generally have the following four methods:
(1) Multi-directional active transmission
This method involves S or A proactively transmitting information produced or collected to an undefined recipient (R) to meet the needs of the entire society. Examples include bookstores distributing catalogs of new books and periodicals, information centers selecting and reporting secondary literature (or information), and websites selecting and sending information. Multi-directional active transmission has developed into a basic form of professional information service. Faced with the vast amount of primary information, users (R) not only struggle to obtain the part they need but also lack sufficient time and energy to read, select, evaluate, analyze, and absorb it. Professional information service agencies (A) process and organize large amounts of primary information, providing R with "condensed" secondary information, significantly improving the efficiency of information exchange.
(2) Single-directional active transmission
This method involves S or A transmitting information to a pre-determined recipient (R). This is an advanced stage in professional information service, where the transmitted information is highly targeted and timely, fully leveraging its utility. This method generally involves a fixed and close cooperative relationship between S or A and R, where S and A understand R’s information needs, enabling accurate and timely provision of information. This information transmission method has not yet formed a relatively fixed model.
(3) Multi-directional passive transmission
This method also does not have a predetermined recipient and is an information service provided by A to the entire society, such as the reference and borrowing services of libraries and information centers, or website information services. Here, the users who come to the information center or library, or those who click on website information, are active, while the information transmission itself is passive, hence also referred to as unidirectional passive transmission. Network information services essentially involve websites selecting, evaluating, and organizing large amounts of information, storing it on corresponding homepage or section pages, and providing users with navigation and search services. Reference and borrowing are similarly based on collecting, processing, organizing, and storing large amounts of information according to the requirements of retrieval languages, placing them on shelves or inputting them into computer information systems for R to borrow and search. This has become a fixed model of information transmission.
(4) Single-directional passive transmission
This method primarily refers to information consultation services conducted by S or A. S or A often do not know who R is or what information they need. Instead, they rely on their own knowledge, experience, and information resources to accept R’s consultations. The questions may involve various aspects, such as clues to obtain certain information, specific data or facts, or requests for comprehensive answers. Consultation is initiated by R, making it passive for S or A, while the information transmission target is a specific consultant (R). Therefore, this type of information transmission is called single-directional passive transmission, also known as directed passive transmission. The in-depth development of information consultation services is essentially the same as information analysis and research. For major issues, such as the level, trends, and direction of a certain discipline, or the level, market share, dynamics, and trends of a certain product, simple queries cannot provide answers. Instead, it requires reviewing large amounts of primary and secondary information, sometimes even on-site investigations, to produce research reports with analysis, comparisons, conclusions, and recommendations, which can then provide a comprehensive evaluation and response. In professional information service, the above four information transmission models complement each other, do not replace one another, and are coordinated. The purpose of multi-directional transmission is to facilitate single-directional transmission, as only in this way can the final goal of information exchange be achieved. The foundation of single-directional transmission is multi-directional transmission; only with multi-directional transmission can single-directional transmission become a stream with a source.