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Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
From "The Rock" by T.S. Elliot
We constantly view information, hear information, and create information. But what exactly is information?
Is information nothing but a collage of bits, bytes, words, images, sounds, or animation? Data is certainly part of information, but it seems inadequate as a definition by itself. Is information meaningful data? Useful data? Intelligent data? Data on steroids?
Information is sometimes true, but the Information Highway is rife with typos, distorted data, personal paranoias, and just plain wackiness. Spy agencies love to sow disinformation. Information can be true, or it can be misleading and wrong. The truth may be out there, but sometimes we have to wade through a lot of wrong "facts" to find it.
Knowledge is the goal for information. Knowledge comes when one understands (true) information, but understanding the global information overload is difficult. An unknown author wrote, "We are drowning in information and starved for knowledge."
Information is a prerequisite for wisdom, but wisdom seems to be two levels above information. Wisdom is knowing how to apply knowledge but is not just "head" knowledge. A person can be "knowledgeable" but not be "wise." Wisdom integrates both intellectual and experiential information. Wisdom is, perhaps, experience (encountering information) transformed into meaning.
Maybe by defining what information is not, I've finally backed information into a locatable corner. Information seems to be the middle ground between data and knowledge. Data is an information carrier. (True) information is the food of knowledge and the vitamins for wisdom.
Information developers must take data, verify its truthfulness (and not lose truth by adding distortions), and recreate it in a form that is understandable to a target audience. By connecting with our audience at their level, the appropriate information can create an "aha" experience in them. If we do our jobs right, our audience obtains knowledge and maybe even a little bit of wisdom.
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