About
About
Toward the realization of Informational Wellbeing
Informational Wellbeing
What is Informational Wellbeing?
"Informational Wellbeing" refers to a state in which each person's desired "health" in the information space is fulfilled. It is a concept that aims to achieve balanced consumption of diverse information, acquisition of "immunity" against mis/disinformation, and the ability to autonomously choose one's own information environment.
The WHO defines health as "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being." We propose adding an "informational" dimension to this definition, establishing Informational Wellbeing as a new wellbeing concept alongside Physical Health, Mental Health, and Social Health.
Goals of Informational Wellbeing
- -A state where individuals can realize the values they desire regarding their information environment (diversity, reliability, comfort, etc.)
- -Collaboration among all players in the information space (platform operators, media, telecommunications companies, advertisers, users, and government)
- -Establishment of a new academic field that addresses information and discourse spaces themselves
Background
Current State and Risks of the Modern Information Space
The modern information space is critical infrastructure for ensuring the free transmission and exchange of ideas and information in democratic society. However, it is dominated by a business model called the "attention economy," which creates serious social risks.
Social Risks in the Information Space
- Spread and amplification of mis/disinformation
- Social division, defamation, and online flaming
- Cognitive warfare and propaganda
- Filter bubbles and echo chambers
Structural Problems of the Attention Economy
- AI-driven profiling and personalized recommendations
- An advertising space of "stimulus (recommendation) = reflex (click)"
- Impact on mental health through addictive UI/UX
- Difficulty of voluntary change due to Nash equilibrium
Because this structure benefits both platform operators and users, a Nash equilibrium in game theory has formed, and neither side has an incentive to change the status quo. We cannot rely on voluntary behavioral change by individual players; comprehensive countermeasures are needed.
Analogy
The Food and Health Analogy
We aim to realize Informational Wellbeing through an analogy with "food education." Just as healthy eating is required in an age of dietary abundance, healthy information consumption is required in an age of information explosion.
Age of Dietary Abundance
- Short-term optimal: eat what you want
- Long-term health requires overcoming short-term desires
- Knowledge and support for healthy eating habits
- Health checkups for understanding one's condition
Age of Information Explosion
- Short-term optimal: consume only preferred information
- A healthy discourse space requires overcoming short-term desires
- Knowledge and support for healthy information consumption
- Social systems for understanding one's information environment
Just as it is difficult to maintain physical health without understanding concepts like vitamins and calories, in the information space as well, recognizing the nature of one's information environment and daily information consumption is the first step toward ideal information behavior.
Research
Research Approach
In this project, we are conducting research under the following three themes to explore the ideal state of the modern information space, which faces serious problems such as mis/disinformation and cognitive warfare, and to conceive and establish support methods and evaluation approaches for realizing the information environment that users aspire to.
Theoretical Foundation
Exploring model cases for Informational Wellbeing and developing evaluation metrics
We categorize the types of information environments people aspire to as model cases and develop metrics for quantitatively evaluating Informational Wellbeing.
Continuously evaluating the diversity of information exposure from micro-macro perspectives
Quantifying the extent of influence from recommendation systems
Evaluating echo chamber effects from diverse perspectives
Quantifying the reliability and tone of information sources and content
System Implementation
Developing systems to support the realization of Informational Wellbeing
We design and implement an "Information Dock" portal site and "meta-information provision app" based on evaluation metrics to promote user behavioral change.
Presenting various metrics from past information behavior to diagnose compatibility with Informational Wellbeing
Visualizing and presenting the reliability of information sources and content tone
Supporting multifaceted understanding of information through LLM agents with diverse stances
Estimating content "junk level" and visualizing browsing patterns
Social Implementation
Theoretical foundation research and practice for social implementation of Informational Wellbeing
We verify middleware theory for breaking free from the attention economy, examine social implementation, and contribute to policy proposals and legal frameworks.
Examining the externalization and decentralization of content moderation authority
Conducting proposal activities to government ministries and international organizations
Empirical research on the impact of technology on Informational Wellbeing
Disseminating information literacy using the successful model of food education
Research Groups
Research Groups
The above research themes are collaboratively pursued by three research groups.
System Development
System Development Group
GL: Fujio Toriumi (The University of Tokyo)
Responsible for exploring model cases of Informational Wellbeing, developing evaluation metrics, building the Information Dock portal, and developing meta-information applications.
View DetailsHuman Science
Human Science Group
GL: Asako Miura (Osaka University)
Responsible for verifying psychological validity and evaluating intervention effects through social psychology experiments, conjoint analysis, and large-scale web surveys.
View DetailsSocial Implementation
Social Implementation Group
GL: Tatsuhiko Yamamoto (Keio University)
Responsible for verifying middleware theory, examining social implementation, promoting policy proposals and literacy education.
View DetailsImplementation
Toward Implementing Informational Wellbeing
1. Education & Literacy
By understanding the nature of the information space and knowing about the existence of echo chambers and filter bubbles, we aim to enable individuals to make their own choices about information exposure. Like food education, we work to spread these concepts and improve literacy across all generations.
2. Content Category Disclosure (Information Nutrition Labels)
Like food nutrition labels, we visualize the characteristics of information content so users can make informed choices. We visualize topic diversity and tone diversity of news articles in a two-layer structure.
3. Information Dock
Like health checkups, we build systems for regularly checking one's information consumption and recognizing biases. We quantify and present information diversity metrics and exposure to mis/disinformation across platforms.
4. Digital Diet
We provide tools and methodologies for curbing excessive information consumption and achieving a balanced information environment. We support reflecting System 2 (deliberative) information consumption plans in System 1 (intuitive) information behavior.
5. Exploring Economic Structures Beyond the Attention Economy
We research new economic structures that promote a healthy information environment as an alternative to business models that compete for attention. We aim to build sustainable business models, including cooperation with venture companies.
Vision
New Academic Trends
This project aims not only at technological development, but also at building the foundation for a new academic field that addresses information and discourse spaces themselves.
A New Definition of "Health"
By adding an "informational" perspective to the WHO Charter's definition of health, we aim to create new trends in science and technology and new businesses as a new approach to "health."
Pioneering Interdisciplinary Research
We aim to form a new academic field that involves many academic disciplines including information and communication, communication studies, information engineering, and computational social science.
Sound science resides in a sound discourse space. Ensuring the health of the information space is essential for the advancement of science and technology, in order to prevent the spread of pseudoscience and anti-intellectual discourse, and the resulting social division, and to achieve appropriate science communication.
Related Links
Related Links
- 01Joint Proposal "Toward Healthy Discourse Platforms ver2.1" (October 2024)
- 02Joint Proposal "Toward Healthy Discourse Platforms ver2.0" (May 2023)
- 03Joint Proposal "Toward Healthy Discourse Platforms ver1.0" (January 2022)
- 04Book: "How to Navigate Digital Spaces: Toward Informational Health"
- 05Yomiuri Shimbun "Informational Health" Feature