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Information About
Information: A Taxonomy of Views
Earl H. McKinney
and Charles J. Yoos II
Abstract
"Information" is poorly defined in the Information Systems research
literature, and is almost always unspecified, a reflexive,
all-purpose but indiscriminant solution to an unbounded variety of
problems. We present a taxonomy of four views—token, syntax,
representation, and adaptation—to enable scholars and practitioners
to specify their concept of information. This taxonomy is normative,
but we also provide a background review of the etymology and
chronology of information, and we sample uses of the term in current
IS research. IS research will improve as the term information, via
the taxonomy we contribute, is employed more explicitly and
consistently.
Keywords: Information, theory, taxonomy, token, syntax,
representation, adaptation