Social information is the information and messages that are transmitted in the process of communication. This is a combination of emotional and other influences transmitted by participants in the communication process. This knowledge and emotional messages transmitted by people to subsequent generations.
What is social information?
There are various channels for transmitting such messages that carry educational and educational functions. For example, the most vividly non-verbal social messages are transmitted through traditional culture. In modern society , the media are an important channel for exchanging such data .
The concepts of "information" and "social information" are inextricably linked. Only, unlike the first, which is knowledge about society, the second is distinguished by its dynamism and fully reflects the processes occurring during social communication. In the process of evolutionary development of society, a complication of the structural part of social information has occurred. If earlier human behavior was regulated by the genetic knowledge worked out by generations, now the society prefers operational information, which is distinguished by its diversity and efficiency.
Types of Public Information
From the point of view of social purpose, information of this type can be classified into the following types:
Another way of dividing is based on how it is reflected in the mind of a person. Distinguish between the aesthetic and logical components of social information.
In addition, there are types of social information based on the sensory perception of the data coming to the person from the outside world. In accordance with this, tactile, auditory, gustatory and other types are distinguished.
Systematization Methods
Social information is data that needs to be periodically collected and systematized. For example, social information can be obtained by the following methods:
- observation;
- questioning;
- analysis;
- expert survey;
- social experiment, etc.
The most widely used method of sociological observation, which involves conducting surveys, questionnaires and interviews. These methods allow you to get the most relevant, reliable and reliable information.
How is social information collected?
Data collection is an important step in any case study. Moreover, the collection of social information is carried out comprehensively, using several methods at once. For example, document analysis is a traditional and fairly reliable method, which often acts as a formalized and additional way to obtain the necessary sociological data. A universal and frequently used method is a survey, which can take the form of a press or hand-out questionnaire, in the form of a standardized interview, as well as a free, formless interview. Sociological observation is a method of collecting primary sociological information, which is carried out by direct perception and direct registration of events that are significant in terms of research objectives.
Targets and goals
Social information is all the accumulated knowledge about the world that is used by mankind in the most diverse areas of their life. From here, the following functions can be distinguished:
- scientific and educational;
- ideological;
- managerial;
- communicative and others
Each of these functions is strictly specific, but it is advisable to consider them in a complex. Some pairs of functions are inextricably linked, such as communicative and managerial. It is noteworthy that social information never ceases to be valuable. Even if its relevance is lost, it remains an indispensable source of various historical facts.
Social information is a great opportunity to navigate well in the real world surrounding each person, as well as to perceive this reality as objectively as possible. The ability to observe the environment and the norms adopted by a team makes it possible for an individual to correctly navigate in the environment, as well as to structure his behavior in such a way that it organically fits into existing rules.
Transmission channels
A person receives the information necessary for him through various sociocultural institutions, which may include: family, education, and mass media. The family acts as the first sociocultural institution, from where a person receives the very first idea of the world around him. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the role of the family in the formation and transmission of social information to future generations. Television and the Internet allow you to receive a wide variety of knowledge about the world and the norms of communication in it.
Finally, educational institutions, as well as the continuing education system provide modern man with reliable and relevant information. Direct communication between people is of no small importance. They, through oral or written communications, participate in the exchange of social information. However, public information from the Internet is currently the most widely used. For most modern people, this is the easiest and fastest way to obtain information in text form, as well as in the form of an audio or video file.
Socio-pedagogical information
It gives us a general idea of the current state of the socio-pedagogical system, as well as how the requirements for information resources in the educational process are provided. It is the most important intellectual resource actively used by modern society.
Socio-pedagogical information cannot be represented without the use of information technology, which can significantly accelerate the collection, processing and storage of resources. It is an important part of public intellectual property. Moreover, every year its importance is growing. Reliable data of this type are necessary in management processes. Social information allows you to make the right managerial decisions, as well as correct previous decisions. It is extremely advisable to collect, systematize and apply this information in all spheres of life and in all types of human activity, as this helps to take actions that are reasonable and adequate to the current situation.
Summary of research data
Touching upon various spheres of public life, social information can be classified into economic, political, and social. Paper, electrical and electronic are also distinguished, depending on which material carrier is used for its transfer. Formally, print media, radio and television are used as information carriers. Depending on the goals set, social information can be presented qualitatively or quantitatively. Considering the flow of data from an object to a subject and vice versa, we can distinguish between direct and reverse type of data transfer.
Background information can be generated from social data, including regulatory information, or operational information. The latter has a variable period of use and is characterized by fast collection times. Depending on which management functions social information belongs to, it is classified into the following types:
- regulatory;
- forecast;
- organizational;
- control and training.
Methods for collecting socio-pedagogical information
Analysis of documents allows you to obtain data on those events for which observation is no longer possible. However, reports, protocols, publications, and other sources can provide valuable statistical social information. Archival research provides a unique opportunity to study a particular social phenomenon, affecting a wider time interval. Archival research involves working with census data, folklore, personal letters, as well as newspaper materials and various statistical reports.
Another, no less important method of social information is observation, during which primary empirical information is collected. The main advantage of this method is the independence and maximum objectivity of the data obtained, as well as the ability to capture the process of human communication and its elements. An experiment is the most valuable and at the same time the most difficult to implement method of collecting social information. In aggregate, all existing methods of researching human social behavior are aimed at cognition and improvement of the communicative process. This is the main function of social information.