Title: A note from the field: on the information management of consumers

Authors: Jouni Linkola

Addresses: UIAH, University of Art and Design Helsinki, Finland

Abstract: In this article, I worked through ideas on how new technology could support consumers in their shopping decisions concerning everyday goods like food. I claim that consumers are interested in product information and are willing to use it, if it could only be managed and integrated into everyday practices. The focus of my work is on consumer information interest. I suggest that we should not only support official labelling, but try to create new markets of product information with the help of trusted third parties like NGOs which consumers trust. We also have to support collaborative knowledge building of consumers themselves. Finally we have to make possible for the consumers to combine different information sources and integrate the information with situations where decisions are made. The direction to more awakened consuming can be gained through a wider picture of our consuming as a whole.

Keywords: sustainability; awakened consuming; information management; sustainable information society; sustainable development; shopping decisions; food shopping; product information; consumer information; trust.

DOI: 10.1504/PIE.2005.007818

Progress in Industrial Ecology, An International Journal, 2005 Vol.2 No.3/4, pp.427 - 439

Published online: 23 Sep 2005 *

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