Domains and Contexts on Information Science in the Digital Age: Networks—Information—Data—Software

  Purpose/thesis: This paper is an attempt to answer the question whether the fact that human expe­rience and practice are manifested largely or fully within digital environment creates more oppor­tunities to integrate information science that researches the afore-mentioned issue and whether it would allow the researchers to develop coherent knowledge concerning nature, society and human beings. The author does not mean the theory of „everything” but something which has been known for, at least, the last two decades as „third culture”. Approach/methods: The method employed in this, largely sociological, paper was the critical and qualitative discourse analysis. The knowledge on new surfacing social forms and the role of informa­tion in this process remains to be created by social imaginaria rather than experience that is relatively scarce as the society still deals with history in the making. As a result, verified information theories are few and discourses, often contradictory, are very common. In this case the description of each phenomenon, if it is to be exhaustive, needs to be set against various discourses. Results and conclusions: The author defines main concepts functionally and semantically related to the way „information” is understood – an important step if one takes into consideration changes occurring in the process of analog-to-digital shift. The previous paradigm has been exhausted or, at least, the language used for the description of information has aged, which is confirmed by the fact that this paradigm currently hosts more questions than answers. The author criticizes existing disco­urses and proposes his own definitions of new phenomena in the information sphere. The issue of language is very significant - new names for the phenomena influence human thinking, and, inevitably, human actions. As a sociologist the author analyzes it from the perspective of social transformation witnessed by the society the impact of which cannot be recognized and understood at the moment. Originality/value: The paper is an attempt at systematizing and integrating information science issues in four areas: network science, information science, data science and software studies. In Polish and foreign literature those areas are often studied but described separately.