ESZTER HARGITTAI'S RESEARCH Social Framework for Information Seeking [click for pdf copy] by Eszter Hargittai and Amanda Hinnant Forthcoming in New Directions in Human Information Behavior edited by Amanda Spink and Charles Cole. New York: Springer. Abstract In this chapter we focus on new directions in the development of a social framework for understanding the information behavior of well-targeted groups in society. That is, we explore how one's social positioning influences one's information behavior which, in turn, influences the information-seeking behavior of the populations studied. We concentrate especially on human information behavior (HIB) through information technologies, but base our discussion in a more general framework of HIB encompassing other sources. We integrate work from information science, sociology and other disciplines to argue for a more holistic approach to the study of HIB. We outline both conceptual and methodological challenges facing the field of HIB and, for each, suggest specific directions for future research. Outline I. Introduction II. Chapter Roadmap III. Conceptual Framework III.1. Social Attributes III.2. Context of Information-Seeking Behavior III.2.1. Autonomy III.2.2. Social Support III.2.3. Goals and Purposes IV. Methodological Framework IV.1. New Methods of Data Collection IV.2. More Diverse Populations IV.3. New Measurements IV.3.1. Skill and Digital Literacy IV.3.2. Autonomy IV.3.3. Social Support IV.4. Concerns Regarding Measurement Validity V. Conclusion VI. References Please note This is a pre-print version of the the book chapter. Please do not post this document on any Web sites or distribute it on any mailing lists. You can point people to its online location here: http://www.eszter.com/research/c06-infoseeking.html Thank you. Back to Eszter Hargittai's Research page