Information surveillance capitalism in the context of information science

Abstract

Dualities such as information is power, information is knowledge, information as a thing, information as a process or information as a commodity are frequently discussed in the field of Information Science. However, there is not a current or school within the field that brings a specific and unanimous definition of the concept of information, as this is a concept that is still under discussion. In this sense, the definition of information is dependent on context and also on the establishment of a meaning, be it technological, administrative, communicational, political, social or cultural. Our paper analyzes in a theoretical and interdisciplinary way the notion of information surveillance capitalism in the field of Information Science. Our work also aims to understand how this surveillance acts in the capture and manipulation of the data that is automatically or manually provided by users on the platforms. The term Surveillance Capitalism was coined by social psychologist and Harvard Business School professor Shoshana Zuboff. Based on foundational authors of Information Science, such as Borko, Saracevic or Capurro, we consider that this concept that has not been sufficiently analyzed and discussed in the field yet. Our methodology consisted of a literature review including the search, selection, analysis, reading and processing of materials on the concept of surveillance capitalism in the context of Information Science. The materials were retrieved from dictionaries and manuals, databases, specialized journals and scientific conferences on information science and technology. Other sources of information such as articles, monographs, dissertations, theses, and books were also used to provide theoretical support to our research. Based on the analysis of the literature and the textual interpretation of the materials, we consider that the idea of information surveillance capitalism is a concept that needs to be better analyzed from a theoretical-critical point of view, since data and information are fundamental and inherent elements of social and human practices. Additionally, we found that there are two fundamental elements that enable a dialogic interaction between surveillance capitalism and Information Science: information and interdisciplinarity.