informasjon

Informasjon is a Norwegian term for data that has been processed, organized, or interpreted in a way that makes it meaningful and useful. It covers facts about events, persons, places, or processes that can be communicated, stored, and retrieved through spoken, written, or digital media. In everyday use, information supports decision-making, learning, and communication, and it underpins many professional practices from journalism to administration.

Etymology and usage: The word is cognate with the English information and derives from Latin informatio, meaning a shaping or conception, via French information. It entered Norwegian through French and other European languages, and is now used across disciplines such as information technology, journalism, and library science.

Conceptually, information contrasts with data and knowledge: data are raw observations; information consists of processed data that have meaning in a given context; knowledge is the organized understanding that emerges when information is interpreted and internalized. In information theory, information is a measure of the reduction of uncertainty in a message, often quantified in bits, and used to analyze and optimize communication channels.

Quality and governance: Information quality depends on accuracy, relevance, timeliness, completeness, and accessibility. Ethics include privacy, consent, and intellectual property, while information security protects data from unauthorized access. The spread of misinformation raises challenges for trust and democratic processes.

Impact and scope: In contemporary society, information underpins government, business, education, media, and research. The rise of the information society and digital technologies has increased reliance on information systems, databases, and open data, while also highlighting issues of digital divide and data governance.