Infostorms

With points of departure in philosophy, logic, social psychology, economics, and choice and game theory, Infostorms shows how information may be used to improve the quality of personal decision and group thinking but also warns against the informational pitfalls which modern information technology may amplify: From science to reality culture and what it really is, that makes you buy a book like this.
 
The information society is upon us. New technologies have given us back pocket libraries, online discussion forums, blogs, crowdbased opinion aggregators, social media and breaking news wherever, whenever. But are we more enlightened and rational because of it? 
 
Infostorms provides the nuts and bolts of how irrational group behaviour may get amplified by social media and information technology. If we could be collectively dense before, now we can do it at light speed and with potentially global reach. That’s how things go viral, that is how cyberbullying, rude comments online, opinion bubbles, status bubbles, political polarisation and a host of other everyday unpleasantries start. Infostorms will give the story of the mechanics of these phenomena. This will help you to avoid them if you want or learn to start them if you must. It will allow you to stay sane in an insane world of information.

“With this brilliant book, we have been warned. It is up to all of us in the world today to be stewards of he common resource that is trustworthy and relevant information”.

Adam Brandenburger, Stern School of Business, NYU
 
“It is a highly recommended read for social scientists and concerned citizens alike”.

Christian List, London School of Economics

• bandwagon effects
• belief aggregation
• belief polarization
• bubbles in science and society
• bystander effects
• crowd-sourced opinion
• cyber-bullying
• framing effects
• free choice and democracy
• information and manipulation
• information technology
• informational cascades
• irrational group behavior
• likes as public signals
• pluralistic ignorance
• social media and group thinking
• upvotes and crowd-aggregated opinion
• upvotes and public opinion
• social psychology
• lemming effects

"Infostorms uses 78 examples and logic to offer a distinctive perspective on how every day activities combined with public information may manipulate our actions, our opinions, or our choices of what to buy or sell. Their examples illustrate notions ranging from social proof, information cascades, opinion bubbles, pluralistic ignorance, framing and polarization effects, and bystander effects. The pages are full of summaries of experimental studies, anecdotes and simple models that challenge  how we think of information, knowledge, and actions. This book should be read by everyone interested in network formation and researchers interested in decision making behavior." (Robert A. Becker, Professor of Economics, Indiana University, Bloomington, January 2014)

"Informed fair decision making is not a fixed virtue that a democratic society acquires once and for all, it is a process that constantly needs rethinking and reshaping under changing circumstances. This highly original book brings the latest insights from logic, philosophy, social choice theory, cognitive psychology, and game theory to bear on the vast information streams that drive our lives. Its innovative unified perspective sensitizes the reader to the many informational whirlpools that can make us, and our societies, spin out of control, and it makes us better equipped to cope with them. The result is a showpiece of socially responsible fundamental science." (Johan van Benthem, Professor of Logic and Philosophy, university of Amsterdam & Stanford University, January 2014)

"Infostorms is a sophisticated and accessible investigation into the crucial information flows that shape and govern so many aspects of our social, economic and political lives. It elegantly manages to select crucial results in a variety of technical fields, from logic to game theory, from economics to psychology, and make them cast new  and much needed light on the infosphere. An interdisciplinary tour de force not to be missed." (Luciano Floridi, OII’s Professor of Philosophy and Ethics of Information, University of Oxford and Fellow of St Cross College, Oxford, January 2014)

"Modern man doesn’t need more news - he needs better news. And journalists should learn that information is no longer a scarce resource. We all drown in the polluted information surrounding us. What people need is means of navigation, meaning and alignment. Infostorms is a thoughtful, well-written and scary warning to every media organization: Change!" (Ulrik Haagerup, Executive Director of News, Danish Broadcasting Company, January 2014)

"This is an unusual book with a wonderful collection of social phenomena that involve logical reasoning with important notions such as knowledge, information, and beliefs. I was particularly impressed by the nice balance between intriguing stories, formal analysis, and the insights conveyed by the authors. I am sure that readers will be enlightened by this book." (Fenrong Liu, Professor of Logic, Tsinghua University, Beijing, January 2014)

"We live in environments that are rich in information, soundbites, and noise. Our highly connected social networks facilitate the transmission of information, but can also contribute to the spread of misinformation and even disinformation. To build strong democracies and flourishing liberal societies, we must understand how our information environments function and what challenges and opportunities they generate.Written by two scholars with a strongly interdisciplinary orientation, this book brings together insights from many different academic fields to shed light on the mechanisms underpinning information flows in society and how we might respond to them. It is a highly recommended read for social scientists and concerned citizens alike." (Christian List, Professor of Political Science and Philosophy, London School of Economics, January 2014)

"A highly readable book, Infostorms is aimed as much at “students” in the broad sense as those at the university. It is sure to provoke wide-ranging discussions in classrooms. In addition, its themes and examples suggest new research questions. All in all, it is an important contribution to the social sciences for both the academy and the public." (Lawrence S. Moss, Professor of Mathematics, Indiana University Program in Pure and Applied Logic, January 2014)

"We now make our democratic decisions, as we live our everyday lives, buffeted by gales of purported information that are stronger andmorewayward than any previous generation has had to weather. Drawing on many different disciplines and traditions, Infostorms offers an analysis of these forces that is indispensable for everyone who is invested, as we all should be, in the value and the future of democracy." (Philip Pettit, L.S. Rockefeller University Professor of Politics and Human Values, Princeton University, University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, Australian National University, January 2014)

• University of Copenhagen, Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS), Copenhagen S, Denmark

  Vincent F. Hendricks

• Dept. of Communication and Arts, Designing Human Technologies, Roskilde University, Odense M, Denmark

  Pelle G. Hansen

Vincent F. Hendricks is Professor of Formal Philosophy at The University of Copenhagen. He is Director of the Center for Information and Bubble Studies (CIBS) sponsored by the Carlsberg Foundation and was awarded the Elite Research Prize by the Danish Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation and the Roskilde Festival Elite Research Prize both in 2008. He was Editor-in-Chief of Synthese: An International Journal for Epistemology, Methodology and Philosophy of Science between 2005-2015.

Pelle Guldborg Hansen is Behavioral Researcher at Roskilde University; Director of ISSP — The Initiative of Science, Society & Policy at Roskilde University and University of Southern Denmark; and member of the Prevention Council of the Danish Diabetes Association. He also heads the independent research group iNudgeYou and is chairman of the Danish Nudging Network and co-founder of TEN — The European Nudge Network.

Policies and ethics