Introduction: My name is Ayesha Khalil. I joined this module because of my interest in people information and communication. After taking classes of this module synchronous or asynchronous, my insights on information behaviours, unobtrusive observation and information seeking are changed. I had different perspectives on this particular context of “people information and communication”, but gaining knowledge has sharpened my thought process.  

I have explored multiple views each week, and their summary as my reflective diary is as follows:

Week 1: “Exploring Context in Information Behaviour” by Agrawal and Marchionini  provided an essential understanding of empirical and theoretical studies on context. It  demonstrated how significant it is to map the elements, boundaries, and context variables using theoretical frameworks. Reading “Information need and the search of meaning” by Cole was also thought-provoking. It discussed how information retrieval and processing, humans exceptional consciousness and cognitive abilities make them different from artificial intelligence (where the world is heading); therefore, humans can make decisions on time and accurate, which no other creature can do.

Week 2: The week’s reading on “A theory of Life in the Round” was very intriguing. Author Chatman  made observations and conducted interviews in a maximum-security prison for women in Neuse City, United States. She concluded by her observations that people seek information only from others who are much like themselves or are bound to skeptical of claims (not experienced personally); views the restricted version of the world’s possibilities. Studying Fulton article on “Secrets and secretive behaviors: Exploring the hidden through harmful gambling” also provided a crucial insight on secretive information behaviors. She explored how self-concealment and social and negative financial outcomes seriously impact the gambler’s life, particularly their family members. It was evident through the study that secretive information behaviors lead a person’s to worse gambling addiction

Week 3: Studying a chapter on “Research approaches” by Ford revealed different methods to conducting research. It explored that a consumer or generator of research should know the difference in research approaches used to evaluate human interaction and behaviors. Another chapter on “models and theories in information behavior research” hexplained how the models and theories are helpful in terms of generating and enhancing different phenomena but, in the case of their non-effective applicability, demonstrates no reason to practice. Reading the chapter on “what Methodology Does to Theory: Sense-Making Methodology as Exemplar” by Fisher, Erdelez and McKechnie  made me understand that study on information behaviors built on substantive and meta-theories. Substantive based on observations and meta-theory on philosophical assumptions about the phenomena gives foundation to further research.

Week 4: The Tiidenberg study on "Ethics in Digital Research" provided essential information into the digital world's ethical issues. According to the study, it is difficult to assess which data available is private or which one is in public mode and how the publicly available data should be treated? Therefore, informed consent, confidentiality, privacy, anonymity, harm, and publicity are the aspects that have never been ethically observed on the digital interface. Studying Van Meurs et al. article revealed a different and exciting association between cancerous patients and nurses. The spiritual perspective is a deep and sensitive one. Therefore, the spiritual care provider got into that, and patients could also relate; however, nurses could not help due to barriers of time, mind-set, and reluctance to explore spiritual dimensions. Reading about observations by Wästerfors provided vital information on unobtrusive observations of my project. The given insights were quite enabling to observe scenarios by considering factors like details, sequences and atmosphere. Moreover, the discussion on specific observations for different types of project was also helpful.

Week 5: While I was reading "The Strength of Weak Ties" by Granovetter (1973) and "The Pandemic Has Erased Entire Categories of Friendship" by Mull (2021), I found an intriguing and common perspective in both; that acquaintances are healthy and robust ties in one's life and within a social scenario. They make a difference in everyone's life, and the pandemic is one of the most recent examples. Acquaintances prove to be advantageous in job hunting (as Granovetter theory suggests) and for one's mental sanity and short term day to day or occasional interactions (as per Mull theory). Such relationships' intensity and depth in varied capacities become recognizable when any unusual circumstances like pandemic & job hunting come up. I found everyone's views very productive and intriguing and strongly endorsed David's point of view that the post-Covid world will evolve in a new way. That's quite an unpredictable scenario. However, In response to Sarah's analysis of Khoo's article, I said that users are now more reliant on social media networking platforms for seeking information. Along with news websites, they would also be more inclined to get information from other sources (the already available ones). As if Facebook would decline this opportunity for its users, there are already platforms available, just like Twitter. The world is also getting smarter on social networking apps and sites; there can be the creation of such information-based platforms as well.

Week 6 : Studying Fulton's article, I have got a profound idea of how a harmless and fun diversion activity becomes an unhealthy obsession with worse consequences. Gambling addiction, also known as compulsive and pathological gambling, leads a person to massive debts and stealing money. It's a surprise to learn that just like any other disorder, e.g., mental health, gambling addiction's social perspective as the harmful gambling has still not been accounted for and considered by the World Health Organization (WHO). A matter of fact is that an open discussion and social awareness can assist a lot to minimize the issue. In Baker's study, there is an excellent insight into "The information needs of female police officers involved in undercover prostitution work". The study's crux revealed that an updated and holistic approach is required to explain the officers' information model thoroughly. It can only be sought or achieved from those engaged in the working environment's immediate proximities. 

Week 7: The study by Hagar on "whom do you trust? provided an insight into how much trustworthy information is vital in each time of life, especially when it comes to a crisis. FMD spread in the UK was a worse incident when farmers had to face extra damages due to lack and gap in communicational routes. It was much needed that information should have been through government to all farmers; however, farmers had to be more reliant on local information/news in that particular situation From London's air ambulance video, it can be concluded how important it is to have synchronized information among all team members to avoid deadly impacts. It is intriguing to see how daily training exercises and equipment's ordering keep members vigilant and competent to carry out their tasks. They, too, are aware that trust and the correct information are vital to performing their duties. Florida swamp air crash was one of the real-life examples when 110 people had to lose their lives because a series of incidents in two years before the crash was not taken seriously and went unnoticed in terms of information bridging & fixation of the issues. If the information on previous incidents had taken into account (more practically), this disaster on ValuJet Flight 592 would not have occurred.

Week 8: The chosen information centre where I explored is gov. i.e. - COVID-19 (Coronavirus) (www.gov.ie). The positive aspect that I have observed on the website is that it is self-explanatory regarding Covid-19. One doesn't have to browse for insights. Everything mentioned is very clear and on the front page. I think a government official website on most important issues should always look and work like this. However, I was looking for contact and feedback options, but there is no choice given regarding correspondence between people and the government.

Week 9: After reading about studies on cold fusion and information seeking and communicating behaviors of scientists and engineers, I perceived that in particular scenarios, the need for prudent use of electronic/print media for communicating scientific information had remained one of the significant points of attention for scientists. When scientists release information prematurely and do not adhere to their research methods’ peer-review validation rules, the controversies in response causes severe damage to their reputation and associated discoveries. Video on “Fake UK Type iPhone Chargers” has provided an essential insight that how it is imperative to seek accurate information from the right platform about genuine chargers; otherwise, they can be potentially hazardous and can pose a risk to lives. It also shows how trusting in accurate and authentic information can be beneficial for human life, and for that reason, the source of information does matter.Top of Form

Week 10: Studying “Forecasting the Next 10 Years in Information Behavior Research: A Fish Bowl Dialogue” by Erdelez and Burnett has explored that the future of information behaviour would be impacted by the disappearance of information “context”. This is an imperative perspective to address because context is a crucial and integrated basis that impact information behaviour and needs. It is equally important to understand that Information seeking builds on the foundation of “contexts”. Missing or blurred context means no lead to information sourcing, generation, use and need. The study has also revealed that the reason for blurring and changing aspect of contexts is the development of information and communication technologies which have made the information tools more mobile, portable and accessible at any time and anywhere. The usage and accessibility to these sources have changed the origination of contextual formation. The importance of context in information behaviour has been explored in this book (by Agrawal and Marchionini) https://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/ucd/reader.action?docID=5191220                  

Week 11: The chapter “centrality of the affective in information behaviour” by Nahl and Bilal has presented intriguing insights on socio-biological technology models based on information behaviour. The study is a basis of integrative, constructionist, and holistic approaches. It reveals that models focus on the macro and micro-processes of users’ daily lives within social settings and particular contexts. However, a requirement to develop a unified theoretical framework for models can encourage a range of information behaviour regarding specific situations, contexts and perspectives. Reading about “models and theories in information behaviour research” by Ford has provided an exciting concept on models. The study demonstrated that the model represents our concepts about something, executed in a descriptive or explanatory manner. However, the difference lies in their complexities and interpretations. An ideal interpretation of information behaviour within models can be achieved by comparing alternative outcomes of models. It primarily widens the conceptual thought process and provides a holistic approach.

Week 12: My group of observation was based on information behaviours of people and parents with kids in a park. The observation study was conducted in Lahore, Pakistan. The method which was used to gather information/data was unobtrusive observation. Two theories, self-positioning and the strength of weaker ties, were applied to analyse the information behaviour of people and parents in the park. The applicability of self-positioning theory by Davies and Harre (1990) made me understand how particular circumstances and situations impact people’s positioning. The response to those situations enables people either to take forced-social positioning or deliberate-social positioning. Parents enforcing kids to follow SOPs (masks wearing, using sanitisers) refers to forced positioning. In contrast, gardeners working in a park (as a group) align and synchronise themselves, and their working criteria as per Covid or weather scenarios are their deliberate-social positioning. Applying the strength of weaker ties theory by Granovetter (1973), I observed how in Covid times when people have limited access to their immediate relations and information, the park plays a significant role in building more closer bonds with acquaintances in terms of seeking and sharing information. People and parents with kids who had exercise, yoga, and playtime found this opportunity to share and seek information on parenting tips, exercise, health tips, play ideas, etc. A group of religious people also used to come to the park every morning to seek and share knowledge on spirituality. Therefore, by putting the widened picture of scenario into a theoretical framework, the observations indicated that building or creating networks of acquaintances boost knowledge, novelty, happiness and a sense of belonging.

Summary of all weeks (overall module): The module people information & communication has dramatically changed my understanding of observations. Moreover, my idea of people's sharing and seeking has also got widened. It is incredible to find change in myself that I have started looking at perspectives within different contexts. Now, I learn how to relate and linked situations within different scenarios. The module learnings have enriched my thought-process towards unobtrusive observations. Prof. Crystal Fulton, as the best teacher, has taught us so well. She organised interactive lectures and enabled us to share our views as per our visions. The best part I enjoyed was Fulton's supportive attitude within the class. It was motivating to speak up for ideas which we usually don't express and leave those aspects unnoticed. In last, I would say that after twelve weeks based on learning of this module, so many other aspects seem meaningful now because unobtrusive observations have never been a part of my life, but now they are. Thanks to UCD for offering this module and much more thanks to Prof. Fulton, who directed our thoughts in the right way.