信息不平等的发生机理及政策启示研究——基于个人信息世界的整体性考察

Building up the latest development in information inequality research, and taking the disparity of individuals' information worlds as an operational definition of information inequality, this study attempts to investigate the current state and shaping forces of information inequality in contemporary China through a combination of quantitative and qualitative research methods, and to propose policy guidance for coping with this issue. More specifically, this study will apply a questionnaire survey to a stratified sample of individuals across China to measure and classify their information worlds through cluster analysis, and to explain the observed variance through multiple regression analysis. It will then apply participant observation and life history interview surveys to a purpose sample to investigate the evolution of their information worlds so as to unveil holistically the process and forces that shape the disparity between different information worlds. Finally it will draw policy implications from the resulting theories and predict their possible effects by comparing them with existing policies. Four innovations can be expected from this study: (1) Definition of information inequality based on the disparity of individuals' information worlds, which aims to change the existing definition based on information or ICT access alone; (2) Theory about information society's social structure based on individuals' positions in the rich-poor spectrum of their information worlds, which aims to change the existing theory based on socio-economic status; (3) Theory about the shaping force of information inequality based on the examination of both the objective and subjective domains and their interactions, which aims to change existing theories based on the examination of objective condition or subjective factors alone; (4) Policy recommendations based on the above innovations. In so doing, this study hopes to push forward the integrative theories of information inequality and to inform the policy-making process for effectively combating this inequality.

本研究以信息不平等的整体性研究趋势为起点，以个人信息世界的分化为信息不平等的操作化定义，采用定量定性相结合的方法，对当代信息不平等状况及其发生机理进行考察，对信息不平等的综合治理提出政策建议。具体说来，它将采用问卷调研法，对分层抽样的个人信息世界进行测度、聚类及回归分析；采用参与观察和生活史访谈法对个人信息世界发展变化的影响因素进行考察；采用比较方法对本研究的政策建议进行评价。预期创新性成果包括：①基于个人信息世界分化的信息不平等认识；②基于个人信息世界贫富差序的社会结构认识；③基于主客观互动的信息不平等发生机理认识；④基于上述认识的政策启示。它们将分别补充或创新下列已有认识：基于信息获取利用等单维差距的信息不平等认识、基于社会经济地位的社会结构认识、基于单纯的经济技术条件或主观意义建构的信息不平等归因认识以及基于这些认识的政策启示，由此推动信息不平等的整体性理论建设及综合治理。

本研究以信息不平等的整体性研究趋势为起点，以个人信息世界分化为信息不平等的操作定义，首先通过问卷调研，考察了不同人群个人信息世界状况及影响因素(共计发放问卷12,119份)；随后对65位城乡居民的个人信息世界发展史进行了深度访谈，进一步考察了主客观因素在个人信息世界演化中的交互作用；同时按整体性思路反思了我国“十一五”以来的普遍均等信息服务政策。研究显示：社会成员可以按其个人信息世界状况进行聚类；城市居民可以聚类为信息富富裕者、信息偏富者、信息偏穷者、信息贫穷者四组，组间呈现异构差异（即每组在不同方面区别于其他组），信息贫穷者与其他人群的最显著差异体现在个人信息世界动力、个人信息世界的智识边界和信息资产方面，信息富裕者与其他人群的最显著差异体现在信息可及性和可获得性方面；社会成员个人信息世界的分化同时受主客观因素的影响，客观因素包括其所受的制度约束、文化塑造、社会经济地位、社会交往关系及人口学特征等，主观因素包括其自我效能感、好奇心、批判思维、信息视野等；主客观因素之间存在极其复杂的交互作用，交互模式中既蕴含了叠层和流变，其复杂程度超出了现有整体性社会理论（如惯习理论、结构化理论）的解释力；从整体性角度看，我国普遍均等信息服务政策需要反思的方面包括：对自上而下路径的过度依赖、对话语束缚作用的失察、对教育在信息脱贫中作用的简单化认知。上述发现不仅赋予“信息穷人”和“信息富人”概念以实质性内涵，而且从主客观及其交互作用的角度解释了信息贫富现象的发生。