informationsekosystem

The term informationekosystem, also known as information ecosystem, designates a complex network of information producers, distributors, curators, and consumers, along with the technologies and institutions that shape how information is created, shared, and used within a given environment. It includes digital and non-digital channels and tends to evolve with technology, policy, and social practices.

Key actors include publishers, platforms, researchers, libraries, educators, journalists, policymakers, and the public. Information flows through search engines, social media, news outlets, academic repositories, data portals, and archives. Intermediaries such as recommender systems, fact-checkers, curators, and archivists influence visibility, credibility, and accessibility.

The ecosystem comprises governance structures, including legal frameworks (copyright, privacy), standards and metadata, open data initiatives, and funding models. Quality dimensions such as accuracy, accessibility, relevance, diversity, transparency, and trust are used to assess information.

Dynamics and challenges include information overload, misinformation, bias and filter bubbles, digital divide, censorship, and platform power. Resilience depends on interoperability, archiving, digital literacy, diverse content, and robust verification.

Examples and applications include libraries and archives as information hubs; open-access journals; Wikipedia and open knowledge platforms; search engines and social networks; policy and public information campaigns; health information ecosystems around credible sources. The term is used across media studies, information science, and communication research to analyze how information circulates and what conditions promote reliable knowledge.