Information ecology : a new dimension of human life ecology

Bibliogr. s. 399

The situation of human information environment in the 21st century is very complex. We observe more and more clearly negative processes and phenomena associated with poor effectiveness of broadly understood information environment management and the use of anthropoinfosphere (e.g. that end in information addiction). Consequently, it is necessary to care for the information environment, similarly to the way we care for the natural environment, to improve human operation within an infosphere and our use of the technological possibilities in the most effective manner. Information ecology can play a considerable role in that process since it is an inter-, multi-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research domain which task is to analyze the phenomena and processes occurring in the information environment, information and knowledge management, multi-aspectual education of information users, studying of information dissemination and reception processes, with information storage methods, information service quality assessment, as well as building responsibility for information environment. Such activities constitute the foundation of education intended for shaping information awareness, taking into account reasonable forms of using data available in the internet environment, making the data users aware of the scale of information problems, and, primarily building information culture that will protect us against becoming indiscriminate receivers of each message delivered to us through various information channels. The article concentrates on answering the questions what is information ecology and how it can contribute to increasing the quality of human information environment, and, consequently, how to improve human life quality at the beginning of the 21st century.