Theory of Information Poverty
Proposition 1: People who are defined as information poor
perceive themselves to be devoid of any sources
that might help them.
Proposition 2:Information poverty is partially associated with
class distinction. That is, the condition of information
poverty is influenced by outsiders who
withhold privileged access to information.
Proposition 3:Information poverty is determined by self-protective
behaviors which are used in response to
social norms.
Proposition 4:Both secrecy and deception are self-protecting
mechanisms due to a sense of mistrust regarding
the interest or ability of others to provide
useful information.
Proposition 5:A decision to risk exposure about our true problems
is often not taken due to a perception that
Proposition 6:New knowledge will be selectively introduced
into the information world of poor people. A
condition that influences this process is the relevance
of that information in response to everyday
problems and concerns.
To recapitulate, the role of propositions is to provide
explanations or information about an aspect of reality.
These explanations designate relationships between the
statements that, when taken as a whole, provide the parameters
in which to examine that phenomena. The
value of propositions to theory construction lies in their
ability to be tested, thereby, strengthening or weakening
the theory.
Now that the four concepts, secrecy, deception, risktaking,
and relevance have been developed into a conceptual
framework, the discussion will illustrate how my
research has led to the creation of this framework. I
should mention that I did not begin my inquiries with
these concepts in mind. Rather, the findings reveal that
they are components of my studies that have not been
resolved.