Information mediation and its role in the development of complex societies

Abstract

Mediation has a fundamental role in the development of complex societies, since it interferes consciously or unconsciously in the way the subjects interact with and appropriate information. There are similarities between the theory of complexity and the conception of information adopted in this chapter; they are uncertainty and disorder. Both complexity and information are intertwined with these factors. Information, much more than satisfying a need or filling an information gap, raises new doubts and generates new information conflicts. The information mediation, in turn, seeks, among other purposes, to resolve such conflicts and aims for the subject to appropriate the information. Therefore, mediation needs a more complex and holistic discussion, considering the different factors and elements linked and resulting from it.