Information Architectures: A Framework for Understanding Socio-Technical Systems

A sequence of technological inventions over several centuries has dramatically lowered the cost of producing and distributing information. Because culture and societies ride on a substrate of information, these changes have profoundly impacted how we live, work, and interact with each other. This paper explores the nature of information architectures (IAs)—the features that govern how information flows within human populations. IAs include physical and digital infrastructures, norms and institutions, and algorithmic technologies for filtering, producing, and disseminating information. IAs shape everyday lives and cultural practices; they can reinforce societal biases and discriminations and lead to prosocial outcomes as well as unintended social ills. IAs have culturally evolved rapidly with human usage, creating new affordances and new problems for the dynamics of social interaction. We explore the significant societal outcomes instigated by shifts in IAs and call for an enhanced understanding of the social implications of increasing IA complexity, the nature of competition among IAs, and the creation of mechanisms for coordination to guide the beneficial use of IAs. Navigating the challenges IAs pose requires creative experimentation, novel tools, and an understanding of societal norms and institutions. Given that the speed and influence of IAs are accelerating, research in this area is increasingly imperative to ensure that the nature of IAs aligns with a collectively desirable future.