Abstract
According to the World Economic Forum (WEF) report on the Future of Jobs (http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Future_of_Jobs.pdf), we are now entering the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It cites key developments in technology as being the driver for this which will rapidly change the skills needed for jobs in the future. Among these developments is artificial intelligence (AI) which has enabled the proliferation of ‘smart systems’ at home and in the workplace. In the Business Information Review Survey, this year the WEF report is also quoted and compared with the future skills identified as needed for information and knowledge professionals to continue to develop their careers in the future. Information professionals are no stranger to the effects of technology on changing their workplace and the need to enhance and develop their skill sets to continue their careers successfully, however, never before has technology moved with such leaps to affect the amount and distribution of not only information but ‘intelligence’ derived from that information. It now deeply affects not only the information community specifically but the wider world of end users. We no longer passively take in information, we are able to personalize it to our needs – a necessary tool some would say when there is so much information out there. Algorithms are used to track and analyse vast sources of data and information to interpret and gain intelligence to report on. It must be stated however that even with all of this clever technology, although helpful, there still needs to be human interpretation and management.
This need for human interaction with machines has become the topic of a number of books and papers recently, for example, Only Humans Need Apply: Winners and Losers in the Age of Smart Machines by Thomas H Davenport and Julia Kirby published by Harper Business and Mind and Machine: A Decision Model for Optimising and Implementing Analytics by Marc Vollenweinder published by Wiley. There have also been an increasing number of high profile stories in the press relating to where the responsibilities lie of those that publish, manage and host information and news. Most recently has been the report that German authorities have passed a law requiring all social media sites to remove hate speech within 24 hours or face massive fines, in particular it affects Facebook and Twitter (https://www.forbes.com/sites/janetwburns/2017/06/30/germany-now-allows-up-to-57m-in-fines-if-facebook-doesnt-remove-hate-speech-fast/#2fca0232761d). While in the article, there are those who argue that this law places to large a burden on social media companies, others feel it is the only way to get these hosting platforms to take some accountability. What was interesting was Facebook’s response ‘We believe the best solutions will be found when government, civil society and industry work together and that this law as it stands now will not improve efforts to tackle this important societal problem…’
It is an important point that Facebook makes and it has been echoed in other reports including the BBC’s Big Questions programme episode 2 from series 10 entitled “Is Social Media Good For Democracy?” That ultimately, it has to be those who produce the data and information who need to be responsible for it. While this would be the ideal, we have to acknowledge that for the moment this is not happening and that the issue is confused further by misinterpretation of information and data. It has never been more important to have good information skills.
Knowing where to research information, what sources are to be trusted and what sources may require further validation is extremely valuable in today’s climate. Even avoiding untrustworthy or questionable sources, reports still get produced from AI tools that still need a professional set of eyes to review them before they are released for use. As we have seen in the recent past from the news headlines, misinterpreted information based on data produced but not carefully checked can have serious consequences. Good information literacy, accompanying digital literacy skills and careful and considered management of information, has to be considered one of the most critical factors in organizations across the world today.
Another article in our issue, this quarter takes a look at the consequences around not being fully aware of the information we look at and use. Without careful consideration, filter tools and personalization can lead to people only ever receiving biased information reinforcing their own view points. So it seems that not only should responsibility of information production lie with everyone but also research and use of information. The rise in importance of digital literacy skills for the wider world is seen in various initiatives and reports, and new testing has been created for junior school children to develop their digital literacy skills from an early age which was launched by Learning.com at the ISTE conference in Chicago this year. The European Commission has recently published its report on digital skills in the workplace entitled: ICT for Work: Digital Skills in the Workplace (https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/news/new-report-shows-digital-skills-are-required-all-types-jobs). The report states that digital skills are needed in pretty much every industry today. Their recommendations following the study include the need to: “expand the availability of digital skills through the education and training system. Programmes at all levels and sectors of education should be updated and digital skills should be part of the core competences required at every level. Promote access to training to employers through their professional or sectoral organisations and associations, or through governmental channels. Build multi-stakeholder partnerships and agree on a digital skills strategy. Include digital skills in a wider skills strategy in which other transversal skills relevant to employers such as soft skills and communication skills are included. Provide access to funding for digital technologies and digital skills development….” As digital and information literacy skills development take the focus for the wider population, information professionals are invaluable in providing the specialized service needed for today’s organizations.
September’s issue overview
In this issue, we find our most waited for article this year, the results of our annual Business Information Survey. The survey has run for over 20 years and provides a record of the changing climate and challenges faced by senior and seasoned information professionals historically in the professional service and banking sectors. This is Denise’s second year conducting the survey and based on feedback from last year the survey has widened both its geographical and industry sector reach to provide a more rounded view point. From the analysis, six themes were identified: What value looks like to different organizations/senior managers. Successful strategies employed for measuring and communicating value (up, down and across organizations). Communication methods to reach the right/different audiences in organizations. Having the right skill set, what that is, how it is deployed. Keeping up to date with professional trends (info and business). What’s on the horizon – info trends and business trends.
The discussion and analysis on skills is very interesting. Job skills for the immediate future identified by a WEF report closely align with skills identified as being of great importance to the information profession in the next 20 years. Communication, adaptability and flexibility all stand out as important skills to have to progress your career in the future.
Technology unsurprisingly perhaps also features as important in this year survey what with the accelerating development and use of AI and the required skills needed to deal with data output and analysis. This theme is continued through our next article by Virginia Henry entitled People and Tools: Encouraging Rewarding Interaction in the Workplace. Virginia has worked in knowledge, change and learning management for over 14 years. She passes on her insight and expertise in this article that she has developed in getting people to work with technology more effectively. She considers what she has called the ‘humane factor’ and how to incorporate that into successful deployments of technology.
Our third article comes to us from the US. Hal Kirkwood is an associate professor of library science and business information specialist in the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics at Purdue University, in Indiana, USA. His article, Towards a Unified Theory of Business Information, looks at the importance of business information literacy and its impact on developing key competitive intelligence information to aid critical decision making. He attempts to bring all the different aspects of business information together in one framework to aid effective decision-making through providing an accurate context on which to base those decisions on.
Next, we take a look at the impact of ‘Fake news’, how and why it is generated in an article by Dominic Spohr, Media and Communications student at London Metropolitan University, entitled Fake News and Ideological Polarization. This is an interesting article which offers and exploratory look at the effect technology has had on our intake of news and current affairs, how filtering and personalization of news services has created filter bubbles which ensure that only views we agree with, or are from similar perspectives to ours are fed back to us. The implications of these developments are huge and something definitely worth considering the next time we view news sites.
Martin White’s column on Perspectives this time carries on our communication theme from the survey looking particularly at the use of corporate language and the effects specifically of international local languages. As usual Martin’s column is an excellent overview of the subject and quotes from some interesting research papers on the subject.