Small world and information grounds as contexts of information seeking and sharing

This study compares and contrasts small world and information grounds as contexts of everyday information seeking and sharing. More specifically, the focus is on spatial and social factors constitutive of small world and information grounds. To this end, the main works written by Elfreda A. Chatman and Karen E. Fisher and their associates are scrutinized by means of an in-depth review of the literature of studies on small world and information grounds. Both approaches primarily discuss the spatial factors in terms of physical places. The construct of small world places more emphasis on spatial factors as constraints, while the construct of information grounds thematizes spatial factors as open arenas. As to social factors, the construct of small world focuses on normative constraints of information seeking and sharing. The construct of information grounds, in contrast, emphasizes the co-presence of other people as an opportunity to serendipitous seeking and sharing of information. Although Chatman and Fisher thematize the contextual factors differently, the constructs may also be seen as complementary.