Information Literacy
12 items
Fresh Graduate SNS Info Leaks Are Not a "Personal Problem" — Reading the Failure of Organizational Design
In early April 2026, two cases of SNS information leaks by new employees occurred in quick succession in Japan: a production company staffer working on Nippon TV's morning show "ZIP!" posted building ID and shift schedules on Instagram, and around the same time, a new graduate at Mitsubishi Electric Housing Equipment posted their NDA documents on X (formerly Twitter). Media and SNS discourse tend to reduce this to "young people's validation-seeking" or "generational issues," but this article rejects that framing. An Eltes survey published in March 2026 found that 43.3% of business people have posted work-related information on SNS, while only 22.7% have received SNS usage training. Leaks are not a "people problem" but an "organizational design problem." This article reads three structures — the Day-1 gap, the subcontractor blind spot, and the closed-account illusion — and proposes five design layers organizations must own.
The Open Access Paradox — How to Reach Those Who Cannot Be Reached
Does making information 'open' mean it reaches people? The knowledge gap hypothesis, the Matthew effect, and information poverty theory reveal that equalizing access does not necessarily reduce disparities. This note examines the structural limits of the open access movement and considers intermediary models as 'translation devices.'
Literature Map of Agnotology in the Japanese-speaking World 2022–2026 — Tracing the Birth of a Discipline
From the 2022 special issue of Journal of History of Science (Vol. 61) to the 2025 publication of 'Invitation to Agnotology,' this article organizes the development of agnotology research in the Japanese-speaking world as a literature map. We track researcher networks, major publications, and academic presentations chronologically to visualize the current state of this emerging academic field.
Motivated Ignorance — The Cognitive Structure of 'Not Wanting to Know'
Analyzing the mechanism by which individuals voluntarily choose to 'remain ignorant' rather than being forced into ignorance from external sources, from a cognitive science perspective. Examining how the 'illusion of knowledge' demonstrated by Sloman & Fernbach's 'The Knowledge Illusion' and motivated reasoning form the individual-level foundation of structural ignorance.
The Doubt Manufacturing Industry — The Sixty-Year War of Tobacco and Climate
This case study analyzes sixty years of history in which the tobacco and fossil fuel industries systematically 'manufactured doubt' against scientific consensus. From the fact that the same group of scientists and the same strategic patterns were repeatedly employed, 'doubt manufacturing' is theorized as a foundational mechanism of ignorance production.
What Is Not Reported — Media Agenda-Setting and Invisibilization
Media exercise a dual power: deciding 'what to report' and 'what not to report.' This selection constitutes the cognitive framework for perceiving social reality and produces structural invisibilization. The press club system, sponsor pressure, and audience metrics function as attention-control mechanisms in Japan's media environment.
The Pitfalls of 'I Asked AI' — Authority Bias and the Hollowing Out of Knowledge
Authority bias in accepting AI output uncritically and knowledge hollowing from skill delegation. From calculators to GPS to LLMs—a recurring pattern.
The New Ignorance Produced by Algorithms — Filter Bubbles and Echo Chambers
Recommendation algorithms, search engine optimization, and social media feed design automatically determine what users do not see. This structural ignorance, which arises not from intentional design but as a consequence of optimization, is analyzed as a compound mechanism of attention control and complexity weaponization.
AI Amplification of the Brandolini Asymmetry — When the Cost of Producing Lies Approaches Zero
The proliferation of AI-generated content has amplified the asymmetry between the production cost of misinformation and the cost of correction (Brandolini's Law) by orders of magnitude. Employing RAND Corporation's 'Firehose of Falsehood' model, this essay analyzes the consequences of this structural transformation.
Epistemic Injustice and Information Access Gaps in NPOs — Visualizing Structures Where Voices Go Unheard
Applying Miranda Fricker's epistemic injustice theory to the NPO context, this analysis examines how testimonial injustice and hermeneutical injustice create structural information access gaps in policymaking. Through connections with the 'complaint gap' concept from the Quiet City Project, we envision counter-design approaches grounded in agnotology.
The Inhibitory Effect of Strategic Ignorance in EBPM — How 'Pretending Not to Know' Distorts Policy
Applying Linsey McGoey's strategic ignorance theory to Japan's EBPM promotion, this analysis examines the structural mechanisms by which evidence is not reflected in policy despite its existence. It reveals the structure of intentional ignorance behind rhetoric such as 'insufficient data' and 'still too early.'
Research Framework of the Agnotology Lab — An Inductive Coding Framework
From the perspective of agnotology, this note presents an inductive coding framework for multidimensional analysis of the 'production of ignorance.' Moving beyond conventional domain-based classification, a seven-axis tagging system structures research notes and allows cross-disciplinary patterns to emerge from the data.