The Effects of Information Production Process on Experience and Evaluation

Abstract

Research to date on the value of information has mostly focused on the consumption side of information, namely, that consumers need to experience information in order to evaluate it. When it comes to digital media, users have multiple roles. In this context, materiality is applied to assess the role that technological components play in the interaction between user and digital media. The concurrent consumption and production of information raises questions as to the influence of information production on information value perception. To this end, we conceptualize the information production process. The fundamental assumption in this research is that value perception changes as a result of production experience. Furthermore, this study examines the boundaries of value perception for producers of information. 309 participants took part in a set of experiments. Willingness-to-pay by consumers and willingness-to-accept payment by producers were measured before and after consumption/ production/ peer-production. Results show that consumers’ and producers’ subjective value before their experience were equivalent; Change in value perception before and after consumption/production produced a statistically significant effect; Producers who evaluate the information after the experience, evaluated it higher than producers who evaluated the information before the experience; and value perception measured before the production by a single producer is lower than value perception by peer-producers. Hypotheses were accepted. If accepted, additional results will be presented at the conference.

Experiencing information, acquiring knowledge, and making decisions regarding web accessibility

“…For example, decisions regarding health care or strategic decisions. Further to the findings obtained in the experiments-A positive relationship was found between the number of peers producing information and the probability to make a major change in decision, in line with the diminishing value of information (Rusho & Raban, 2018. Self-production, which leads to the highest value perception, exemplifies the low probability to make a major change in decision following the production process.…”

“…In the present research, information production experience follows a circular five-stage process in which an information product, a presentation, is created (Rusho & Raban, 2019). In previous research, we showed that when individuals are engaged in producing information they develop a higher evaluation of their self-created information product as compared to an identical information product created for them (Rusho & Raban, 2018. This is a form of expression of the Ikea Effect as applied to digital information (Norton et al, 2012).…”

Join the club? Peer effects on information value perception

“…A prior study examined whether the IKEA effect, which usually applies to physical products, occurs in the production of information goods by individuals. The results confirmed that the experience of individually producing information led to higher evaluation of the information than did consuming it (Rusho & Raban, 2020, 2018a, 2018b). Rusho and Raban define information production process as a circular five‐stage model: specification, design, implementation, validation, and evolution.…”

“…Information experience enhances value perception (Rusho & Raban, 2018a, 2018b). This dynamic nature of information evaluation refers to the experiential aspect of information goods, which must be experienced in order to be evaluated.…”

“…To evaluate the actual value of information sources, they must be used, therefore, they are experience goods (Nelson, 1970). The results of a prior study showed that post‐experience value perception is higher than pre‐experience evaluation for consumption and production of information by individuals (Rusho & Raban, 2020, 2018a, 2018b). The change in value perception following production activities is greater than the change following information consumption, indicating that the value of information is dynamic as well as subjective.…”