Contributing to the Information Ecosystem
Me and our previous Executive Director, Chenthu Jayton, decided to co-write this blog. We know our collective minds are powerful and WE care about our DEIJ community members. We want to be here for you and be a joyful beacon of possibilities. As you continue reading, please ask yourself; who are the people you want to speak to and care for through your contributions to the information ecosystem?
Chenthu’s Story
When I was growing up in Sri Lanka in the 90’s it wasn’t out of the ordinary to open the Sunday Times or the Sunday Leader (two privately owned national weekly newspapers) and find large sections of the paper blacked out by the state censorship board. At the time, Sri Lanka was mired in a civil war and the national government was intent on keeping morale up and anti-government sentiments under check. This meant the information flow was tightly controlled and state-run televisions and newspapers were the only ones allowed to broadcast freely. Information on how the national government was managing the war, civilian or military casualties, and gains or losses in territory, were only available through official government-controlled channels thus curating a particular view of the war for the people. Information to the contrary or criticisms of the war were tightly regulated to the point of journalists being threatened or murdered, opinions being censored, and the general discourse being carefully monitored.
In the circles that I moved in, people were largely skeptical about the information that we were being fed. We knew the information was tainted with an agenda, but we had limited ability to verify or vet the information. This meant conversations that questioned or critiqued the government were always speculative or hypothetical and could hardly challenge the “reality” that was constructed by state-run media. Voices were silenced. Perspectives were lost. People won (or lost) elections based not on the accuracy of the historical record, but rather on the information in circulation.
Ashley’s Story
If you, like me, can feel the ongoing energetic shift in the US, you, like me, are probably feeling overwhelmed. The noise is ongoing, unrelenting, and loud in more ways than one. Before and on election day I chose to stay off mainstream news and social media. This was a self-protective measure, and it worked well for me. In the weeks and months following, I have been less careful. Pulled into the intended news cycles of fear about the new administration’s actions, my mindset is clouded. Though I am entrenched in diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice thought leadership, facilitation, and consultation I am not immune to the intensity of my information ecosystem.
Knowing my consumption of media is filling up my energetic bucket, so to speak, I am looking for ways to intentionally leave room in my bucket for creativity and generation. I am affirming myself of the following; I can manage my media consumption and balance it with purposeful, intentional media contribution. My intention is not to scream into the echo chamber of people who will agree with me nor is it to scream into the dark void of those who dismiss me. My intention and purpose are to contribute to the collective knowledge and honor the work of those who already know so much about moving through and resisting deregulation, oligarchic power snatching, and white supremacy. I cannot speak to everything or everyone, but my commitment to intersectional feminism, emergent strategy, and environmental justice will not waiver. Not now, not ever.
Our stories demonstrate two different perspectives of how an information ecosystem can be crucial in more ways than one. The goal of this blog is to provide guidance and strategy in creating and contributing to an information ecosystem that is intentional and holistic.
What is an information ecosystem?
Have you ever wondered if fish know if they are wet? An information ecosystem is hard to separate from the experience of living in it, simply because it is omnipresent. For an individual living within a particular information ecosystem, it is as normal as breathing in the air without being able to distinguish between the individual composition of the air. Like a fish, not knowing it is wet, we are often desensitized to the kind of information we are swimming in without careful consideration.
An information ecosystem is constituted by the content or information being shared or exchanged within the ecosystem (points of data, stories, perspectives, etc.), the channels (interpersonal talk, newspapers, movies, social-media platforms, etc.), and the set of knowledge or expertise to understand, interpret, vet, and organize the information being exchanged across the channels.
A complex interplay between content, channel, and expertise ultimately influences the overall quality and impact of an information ecosystem. Historically, consumers relied on education and media personalities to provide the expertise necessary to vet and organize the information we consume. However, as social media emerged as a “new” channel, the nexus of expertise changed, where algorithms tended to evaluate and organize the information consequently changing the kind of expertise needed to organize information. The new channel also transformed the content into small bite-sized components and segmented the content in ways that limited thorough analysis and proper vetting.
Curating a thoughtful and carefully calibrated information ecosystem is as important as regulating the air you breathe. Too much of anything can be stifling. Too little of anything can be suffocating.
How do we vet the merits of the information ecosystem?
Knowing the vastness of the information ecosystem, it can be overwhelming to consider the veracity and the merit of each piece of information we might consume. With that in mind, we offer a simple framework to apply when vetting any piece of information or an information channel.
Accuracy:
The starting point for evaluating a piece of information is its factual accuracy. A simple, who, what, where, and when analysis will yield a reasonable evaluation of the essential facts of the event. Another method of analysis when considering aggregate data (as opposed to event data) is to lean into the scientific method. If the same data is collected again in the same method, will the data match? If it does, then we have a measure of factual accuracy.
Honesty:
Facts alone never tell the full story. Facts interpreted without context or out of context are often misleading and, therefore, dishonest. In considering the honesty of the information or channel, consumers should examine whether the facts are placed in their proper historical or contemporary context. That includes considering the environmental and geopolitical circumstances that can explain the factual phenomenon.
Fidelity:
The interpretation of facts is rarely neutral. A key component of vetting information or an information channel is understanding the agenda or point of view that drives the content selection and analysis. By asking “who’s interests are served by a particular interpretation of the facts?” we can start uncovering the inherent biases in an information ecosystem. By examining the causes and agendas of authors and analysts and considering where they contribute their valuable time, money, talent, and resources, consumers can better understand their loyalties.
Diversity:
The quality of the information or channel is richer when it adequately represents a diversity of perspectives and interpretations of the same set of facts (either event data or aggregate data). By examining the same set of facts from authors and analysts who represent different lived experiences, we get a broader understanding of the impact of a decision or phenomenon.
Access:
Information or information channels that are only available to limited communities or circulate in closed circles of communities typically serve the interests of limited communities. The quality of your information ecosystem is enhanced by information channels that are being vetted by the broader public and especially by communities that are underserved or exist in the margins.
How do we determine what kind of information ecosystem we want to be a part of?
There is no right or wrong way to build your information ecosystem because you already have one! As you explore your preferred and trusted sources (using the criteria above) you will probably notice a natural stratification based on things like your values, political stance, profession, and identities. This is okay. Observe your current ecosystem and identify some places you may be able to expand and diversify.
Here’s a few suggestions:
An easy place to start is looking for the additional media or people that those in your current information ecosystem follow or reference. Do these media groups or people align with the areas where you can expand your ecosystem? Do they occupy identities or have ideas which are different from your current ecosystem?
Once you find new authors or sources you like, consider signing up for their newsletters, following them on your preferred social media platform, or even registering for their print media deliveries. If they are local, there might be community events you can attend to get involved.
Talk to your people! The people who you trust in your life (friends, family, colleagues, peers) have their own information ecosystems and are probably willing to share suggestions.
Building a diverse information ecosystem (both in diverse ways of thinking and knowing and diverse authorship) will take time and will fluctuate. You will probably need to update the sources and people you engage with regularly. This is okay!
Individual and Communal Contributions to the Ecosystem
We are all inherently engaging in the information ecosystem (implicitly and explicitly). It is difficult to opt out of this continuous engagement. As we were writing this, we thought about what classifies careful and intentional contributions to the information ecosystem. But before we offer some ideas on contributions, we share a reminder that it is a gift to be able to curate an information ecosystem.
Not everyone can afford to purchase or use a cell phone, not everyone can engage in English-speaking media in the US, not everyone can access stable and consistent internet. Aside from this, there are some folks who have less agency over their ecosystems because of their identities or position – elderly people and children are often exposed to media by default, whatever their caregiver(s) chooses and shares with them. We experience information ecosystems passively sometimes. Whatever is on a TV in a waiting room, the radio station playing in a vehicle, or paper mailers.
How, Where, And When Do You Contribute?
As we acknowledged earlier, we all engage and contribute to the information ecosystem in some way shape or form (even when you say nothing, you are saying something!). The next step of your information ecosystem is knowing how, where, and when you want to contribute.
Our first suggestion is to encourage you to participate. Over the past few months, we’ve seen a bombardment of information with a goal of overwhelming people to the point of inaction. Your contributions to the information ecosystem, your action, are more crucial now than ever. Don’t let passivity become your constant.
The second step? Understanding your impact and your role. What identities do you hold? What lived experiences inform your perspective? What knowledge or stories can you share? From there, consider what your goal is when contributing to the ecosystem. Are you providing a different point of view or perspective? Is this to validate and reaffirm others or your experiences? Are you aiming to inform or educate your information ecosystem? Do not only think about the goals but who your contribution supports. Does this center folks who have historically been marginalized and ignored? Does this add power to a community who consistently has power taken away from them? And finally, does your contribution come directly from you or can you highlight and elevate others who are doing similar work from historically marginalized communities?
Determining Your Level of Contribution
Every person has a different starting point when it comes to engaging and contributing to their information ecosystems. We also acknowledge that everyone has a different type of contribution that may work better for them. We offer a few options when it comes to determining what level of contribution and where to contribute.
Communication is one of the ways we engage in meaning making. We are constantly interpreting the information we receive and constructing meaningful understandings and using this to inform our world view. Every interaction or contribution you make is actively informing your ecosystem’s meaning making process.
One contribution starting point can look like having/facilitating a conversation with a friend or small group OR making a post on a social channel of your choosing like LinkedIn. This can create reciprocal relationships with closer friends, family, or colleagues that creates a space for new meaning making to happen.
Taking a step further in contributions after having multiple conversations or a few posts on a channel of your choosing could look like sharing your contributions across channels, at work or in a long-form content piece like a blog or an article. This next step can be informed by the initial conversations you’ve had and things you’ve learned from sharing on social media.
Moving towards a larger contribution can look like actively creating and facilitating large groups and conversations. You’ve started with those you know and can branch out into inviting folks you aren’t familiar with and expanding community. This can also look like posting consistently across multiple channels in multiple formats.
Each new level and step you take is a culmination of the conversations and meaning making you’ve engaged in and increases the diversity of experiences and insight from the community around you. Contributing to your information ecosystem can evolve and fit your needs and community. What we ask? Take that first step, have that first conversation, make that post, engage in the information ecosystem. Your contribution is crucial and imperative to imagining the community and pathway forward we wish to see.
Interested in partnering with Equity Labs?