消費文化中“資訊崇拜”的意義

Abstract

「資訊崇拜」(cult of information)的說法，常見於某些質疑「資訊社會」的論述，這些論述認為將資訊提升為主宰社會演變的主要因素是個錯誤的論點，同時將科技發展視為一解決問題的萬靈藥，乃是一個偏頗而過度樂觀的想法。有論者認為「資訊崇拜」乃是上層階級意識型態的宰制，人們對資訊商品的消費亦是宰制作用的結果。然而在資訊及資訊科技的消費過程中，意識型態的宰制是否即是促成大量消費的原因？「資訊崇拜」是否真能解釋大眾對資訊商品的消費？本文擬透過不同消費文化理論對消費活動的解釋，來檢視這樣的問題。

The argument of ”cult of information” is often seen in the discussion over the queries of ”information society”, which believed that to rise ”information” as the main element of social change is a wrong statement, and to take the development of technology as a cure-all of problems is a partial and overly optimistic thought. Some said that the cult of information comes from the dominating of ideology of the upper classes', and the consumption of information goods is an effect from the dominating. However, on the consuming process of information and information goods, could the dominating of ideology be the cause of large consuming? could the term of ”cult of information” be able to explain people's consumption of information goods? This paper review these questions through comments toward consumption from different theories of consumer culture.