Information Consumption (Theory, Methods, and Level Measurement)

Author: Zhu Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: With the continuous development of information technology, the attention of an increasing number of consumers has shifted to information products and services. It is undeniable that information consumption is currently of great importance. The first step in any research is to clearly define the research problem. Information consumption refers to the process of consuming information products and services based on different goals and needs. When consumers have information needs, businesses continuously explore what information consumers need, how they consume information, and how these consumption habits are formed. However, sometimes consumers themselves also struggle to identify their final needs, making it difficult to clarify the underlying information needs of consumers. Compared to material needs, information needs are primarily spiritual, so information consumers can achieve greater satisfaction than traditional consumers. Information products are a crucial factor in the information market, including information infrastructure and information resources. The information market is increasingly becoming an important aspect of the information industry. Clearly, the fulfillment of information needs is achieved through information consumption, and the more information products consumers consume, the higher their capabilities. Information consumers are those who obtain more information than general consumers to meet internal needs or solve certain problems. The behavior of information consumers can be simply described as needs, motivations, preferences, choices, risks, and other behaviors. The information market is a venue for the transaction of information products, and the study of the information market includes asymmetric information theory and equilibrium theory. Information policies play a supervisory role in the information market. Currently, research on information consumption is focused on the information product market, information product sales, personalized consumer studies, and the measurement of information consumers, among other aspects. This book places particular emphasis on the measurement of information product and service quality, as well as 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 products of the primary information sector. The Japanese Telecommunications Research Institute uses statistical data and an indicator system to measure the level of information consumption. Currently, all measurement methods for information consumption activities are related to Polat's method and the RITE method. This book studies information consumption and its level of measurement, primarily exploring the theoretical framework of information consumption measurement, proposing methods for measuring the level of information consumption, and verifying the operability of the proposed methods through empirical analysis. The overall research of this book revolves around the measurement of information consumption:
First, 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 subsequent theoretical research. 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 the rights and protection of information consumers, further refining the research content of information consumption. In the study of information consumption measurement methods, research focuses on the quality and utility measurement methods of information products, measurement methods related to information service personnel, measurement methods for information consumer demand and preferences, measurement methods for the operational level of the information market, measurement methods for the level of information consumption policies, and overall measurement methods for information consumption.
Second, the methodological part of information consumption measurement. In the methodological part of information consumption measurement (including Chapter 4, classification-level measurement, and Chapter 5, 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 the level of information consumption 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, which do not affect the validity of the measurement methods themselves.
The structure of this book is as follows: Chapter 1, "Overview of Information Consumption," defines information consumption and highlights its differences from traditional consumption, determines the research content of information consumption, presents the practical significance of studying information consumption, and elaborates on the guiding principles for the measurement of information consumption levels. 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 needs, information consumption motivation, information consumption preferences, information consumption choices, and information consumption risks. Chapter 4, "Information Consumer Rights and 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, information product quality measurement, information product consumption utility measurement, information service personnel-related measurement, information service level measurement, information consumption demand measurement, information consumption preference measurement, information consumption risk measurement, online information consumption measurement, information market operational level measurement, and information consumption policy level measurement, based on a review of existing methods. Chapter 6, "Overall-Level Measurement of Information Consumption," studies methods for the overall measurement of information consumption, discussing methods such as the comprehensive factor method, index method, ratio method, input-output method, tax method, and analytic hierarchy process. Chapter 7, "Empirical Analysis and Suggestions," uses the comprehensive factor method, structural method, and questionnaire survey method to conduct an empirical analysis of the level of information consumption in universities in Shanxi Province and estimates the current state of information consumption in Chinese universities. The "Conclusion" summarizes the reliability of theoretical assumptions and the operability of measurement methods through empirical analysis.