Theory and the social nature of information

Many scholars have discussed their use of theory and metatheory to study the social nature of information. The approaches brought to the table by doctoral students and junior faculty will continue to shape the future of the information field with a social perspective. This panel will present the theoretical frameworks used by four emerging information scholars (Koepfler, Vitak, Alemanne, and Snyder), who will describe the social nature of information in the context of existing information research and social theory. Each will answer three questions: How and why did they include particular theories in their research framework? How is their framework and its view of the social nature of information unique? What are the implications of their work for studying the social nature of information? The moderator (Worrall), panelists, and discussant (Rosenbaum) will encourage new thinking and discussion among researchers and practitioners interested in social and theoretically-based studies of information.