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 negative consequences outweigh benefits.
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, risk-taking,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