Teach: The Information Society and Information Ethics

The Information Society and Information Ethics

Today, smartphones and social media are part of everyday life, and each of us is both a receiver and a sender of information. Information has distinctive properties unlike physical objects, and sending it without understanding those properties can lead to unexpected trouble. In this lesson, we will study the characteristics of information and the “information ethics” essential for living in an information society.

Characteristics of Information

Information has properties fundamentally different from physical “objects” such as desks and books. There are three representative characteristics. First is persistence. Objects disappear from your possession when you give them to someone, but information remains in your possession even after you tell it to someone. Completely deleting information once it has been sent is extremely difficult. Second is reproducibility. Information does not deteriorate when copied and can be reproduced endlessly at almost no cost. Third is transmissibility. Information spreads instantly and widely through networks. “Reposting” and “sharing” on social media accelerate this transmissibility.

Example Suppose you casually post a photo taken with a friend on social media. If someone saves and reposts it (reproducibility and transmissibility), copies may remain online even after you delete the post (persistence). Such personal records that remain almost permanently are called “digital tattoos,” and they may be viewed in an unintended form when applying for further education or employment.

The Benefits and Drawbacks of the Information Society

The information society has brought great benefits: everyone can access knowledge from around the world, and individuals can communicate with society. On the other hand, it also has drawbacks, such as online pile-ons caused by careless statements on social media, defamation and cyberbullying exploiting anonymity, fake news whose truth is uncertain, and internet addiction caused by prolonged use. The gap between people who can and cannot use information devices and networks is called the digital divide, and it arises from factors such as age, region, and economic circumstances.

What Is Information Ethics?

Information ethics refers to the basic ideas and attitudes needed to act properly in an information society. These include ① taking responsibility for the information one sends, ② respecting the rights of others (such as privacy and copyright), ③ checking whether information is true before using or spreading it, and ④ recognizing that misunderstandings are likely in communication where the other person’s face cannot be seen. Even if an action is not prohibited by law, people are expected to exercise ethical judgment and refrain from actions that hurt others or inconvenience society.

Key Points
  • The three characteristics of information are persistence, reproducibility, and transmissibility. Be able to explain how they differ from objects.
  • Information posted online cannot be completely erased (a digital tattoo).
  • Drawbacks of the information society: online pile-ons, defamation, fake news, internet addiction, and the digital divide.
  • Information ethics is an attitude of judging by imagining the effects on others, not merely following rules because they are rules.
  • Before sending information, develop the habit of asking: “Could this hurt someone?”, “Is it true?”, and “Is this information safe to make public?”

Practice Questions

  1. Explain the characteristics of information—persistence, reproducibility, and transmissibility—by comparing each with an object such as one book.
  2. Explain what a “digital tattoo” is and why it can be a problem.
  3. From the perspective of information ethics, give two things to check before spreading disaster information seen on social media.

Answers and Explanations

  1. Answer: Persistence means that information remains with you even after you tell it to someone and is difficult to erase once sent (a book leaves your possession when you lend it). Reproducibility means that information can be copied endlessly without deterioration and at almost no cost (copying a book requires printing costs and time). Transmissibility means that information spreads instantly and widely through networks (a book cannot arrive unless it is physically transported).
    Explanation: The three characteristics are often tested in comparison with objects. Remember the three points together: “remains after being given,” “does not deteriorate,” and “spreads instantly.”
  2. Answer: It is the continued, almost permanent existence of personal information or photographs once made public on the Internet because they are copied and reposted. Even if the person deletes the original post, copies may remain, so the information may be viewed in an unintended form in future situations such as education or employment and may cause disadvantage.
    Explanation: A full-credit answer can explain it using the combination of persistence and reproducibility. The key point is that “copies remain even after deletion.”
  3. Answer: (Examples) ① Check whether the source is a reliable public organization or news organization (verify its truth). ② Check the date and location to make sure that old information or information about another disaster has not been mixed in.
    Explanation: Even spreading information with good intentions can increase harm if it spreads false information. Answer using two viewpoints: “checking accuracy” and “checking context (date and location).” Cross-checking with multiple sources is also correct.

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