Information Behavior and User Practices in Diverse Contexts
Summary
Information behaviour encompasses the diverse ways in which individuals seek, use, interpret and share information across a range of environments, from digital platforms and organisational settings to personal life transitions and community networks. Researchers have documented how cultural, social and technological factors shape patterns of curiosity, the formation of knowledge networks, and the processes by which people construct meaning from information. In digital contexts, mobile and online applications mediate serendipitous discovery, peer collaboration and the cultivation of trust in information sources. In transitional contexts—such as career change, major life events or migration—information needs evolve through phases of understanding, negotiating and resolving, prompting tailored support mechanisms. Practitioners and scholars increasingly recognise the importance of context-sensitive models that address inequality, cultural diversity and accessibility. This global perspective informs the design of information systems, educational programmes and community interventions that aim to enhance information literacy, foster inclusive participation and bridge knowledge gaps in both formal and informal settings.
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Information Behavior and User Practices in Diverse Contexts publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in information behavior and user practices in diverse contexts across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Information behaviour: The manner in which people need, seek, manage, give and use information in different contexts and at various stages of problem solving or decision making.
Sense‐making: A cognitive and communicative process through which individuals and groups organise experiences and information into coherent interpretations or narratives.
Knowledge networks: Structures formed by interconnected information resources, platforms or communities through which users navigate, share and construct understanding.
References
- Architectural styles of curiosity in global Wikipedia mobile app readership. Science Advances (2024).
- Sense‐making, sensemaking and sense making—A systematic review and meta‐synthesis of literature in information science and education: An Annual Review of Information Science and Technology (ARIST) paper. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (2024).
- An information behavior theory of transitions. Journal of the Association for Information Science and Technology (2021).
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