Frame 3: Information Has Value

What Counts as Value?

There are a lot of different ways we value things. Some things like money are valuable to us because we can exchange them for goods and services. On the other hand, some things like a skill are valuable to us because we can exchange them for money (which we may exchange for more goods and services). Some things are valuable to us for sentimental reasons, like a photograph or a letter. Some things, like our time, are valuable because they are limited.

The Value of Information

Information has all different kinds of value. One kind is monetary. For example, if you write a book and it gets published, you are probably going to make some money if people buy your book. So, the book’s information is valuable to you. Additionally, you are also getting your name out into the world and name recognition is valuable to you too. Suppose you write a book and then apply for a job? An employer might google your name and find out that you wrote a book and think, “Oh look, she wrote a book on bicycle sharing! That means she has a good work ethic and will probably work hard for us!” In this example, that kind of name recognition may lead to greater financial compensation. If your book on bicycle sharing includes original research, a university might give you a job, or an organization might give you funds to advance your research. And what if your research resulted in the development of a new bike sharing app? The patent’s intellectual property could be worth a lot of money too!

Information is also valuable at the societal level. When we have more information about crime, poverty and wealth, prejudice and discrimination, schools and education, business, urban communities, and social movements, we make better decisions. And when we have information on political candidates it influences how we vote, who we elect, and how our country is governed. At the global level information is valuable to us when we are researching issues like population growth and migration, war and peace, and economic development.

On a much smaller scale, think about the information on food packages. If you’re presented with calorie counts, you might make a different decision about the food you buy. If you’re presented with an item’s allergens, you might avoid buying it. Nobody wants to end up in an Emergency Room with a severe allergic reaction that can be deadly. But if you do end up in the Emergency Room, the information that doctors and nurses use to treat your allergic reaction is extremely valuable. The value of that information is equal to the lives it saves!

Information can also have value if it’s used intentionally to misinform and deceive others. When this happens, information is defined as disinformation, that is, false information intended to mislead. Disinformation is often represented and expressed in fake news.

Fake news pretends to be accurate news but it’s deceptive; its intention is to damage the reputation of a person, advance propaganda, or make money through advertising revenue. Fake news is significantly dangerous because its lies spread significantly farther, faster, deeper, and more broadly than the truth. Fake news intentionally creates social instability and division by spreading lies and distorting commonly shared truths. That’s why fake news is a real danger to global democracies which are based on truth. These harms undermine a democratic society’s capacity to engage in communication characterized by moral respect, logic, the use of facts, and democratic inclusion. So, if you value democracies, and want to promote their health, stop poisoning them, stop sharing fake news!

Also, if someone is trying to keep information hidden or secret, it’s probably a sign that the information they’re hiding is important, which is to say, valuable. For example, Exxon, one of the world’s largest oil and gas producing companies, knew about climate change almost 40 years ago but didn’t publicly acknowledge it. The company intentionally hid information that connected the burning of fossil fuels with the increase in global temperatures. Concealing information and prolonging climate change uncertainty was of great value to Exxon because it allowed the company to increase its profitability over many years. Instead of being part of the solution, Exxon hid valuable information, and became part of the problem (Hall, 2015).

Citing Valuable Information

When we create new information like research papers, blog posts, or PowerPoint presentations, it’s important that we cite the information we used. There are a few reasons why.

First, if your using information for a college project, someone probably worked hard to create the information. For example, if you’re using information from a scholarly article in your research paper, the information may have taken years to analyze and years to write. By citing the author of the article, you are indicating that you appreciate the author’s hard work, and that the information was valuable to you. Your citation is also valuable to them because over a researcher’s career, a reputation is developed within a research community that’s based largely on the quantity and quality of their publications that are cited. When a researcher is cited many times, it’s good for their professional status.

Second, if you cite dependable and verifiable information, your audience will trust you more and the value of your work will increase. Your citations will show your audience that you have not fabricated erroneous information. Citations document where you obtained your information and they provide a way for your audience to evaluate your work based on the sources you used.

Lastly, plagiarism continues to be a problem on many college campuses. To avoid a possible failing grade, anytime you use information that was created by someone else, you must cite the creator. For example, if you use a direct quote in your research paper from a scholarly article, or even change an author’s words, you must cite them in your work. Simply changing an author’s words (paraphrasing) is not enough. Writing a research paper comes down to sharing, responding, and valuing one another’s work. As you explore and use the work of others, remember who they are and cite them.

Remember, the format of the information doesn’t change the rules. It doesn’t matter what type of information you use; it could be a: Web site, magazine, newspaper, textbook, journal, TV or radio program, movie or YouTube video, photograph or drawing, chart, or graph; any information that shapes your ideas directly, or indirectly, must be cited.

Why do your professors make you cite things? Because those citations are valuable to the original author, and they prove that you understand how to properly engage in a scholarly conversation.

Copyright vs. Plagiarism

Copyright infringement and plagiarism are related but distinctly different situations. You violate copyright when you make copies, distribute, or display a creative work that is protected by copyright law. Copyright infringement can only happen if the creative work is copyrighted and the creative work can be almost anything, a painting, book, or a song. For example, if you wrote music and lyrics to song, your work is protected by copyright as soon as you record them, even if it’s just a rough recording you uploaded to YouTube! But if you wanted to get the full benefit of copyright protection, including the right to sue people if they were to use your song without permission, you would have to take the next step and register your song with the U.S. Copyright Office.

Plagiarism on the other hand is when someone passes off the work of someone else as one’s own or without acknowledgement of the original source of information. Unfortunately, plagiarism is a big problem on college campuses; too many students are copying other people’s thoughts and words and passing them off as their own. And like copyright violation, there are tough consequences for anyone found guilty of plagiarizing.

The Takeaway:

• Information is valuable because of the time and effort that goes into its creation and what comes from it (an informed society). If you continue to value information, it will: improve the value of your work, increase your audiences’ knowledge, and promote honesty.
• Proper citation allows readers to locate the materials you used.
• Other researchers’ ideas can be used to reinforce your arguments.
• Ideas are considered intellectual property and there can be serious repercussions if you fail to cite where you got an idea from.

Ask Yourself

• Can you think of a time you paraphrased an author without citing them?
• Is plagiarism just a scholarly concern?
• If you copy the lyrics to a recent top 10 song and post them to your blog, claiming it as your own work, have you violated the copyright on the work or have you plagiarized the original songwriter, or both?