Abstract People search for information and experiences and seek meaning as a common reaction to new life challenges. There is little knowledge about the interactions through which experiential information is acquired, and how such interactions are meaningful to an information seeker. Through a qualitative content analysis of 992 posts in an online forum, this study investigated lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual (LGBTQIA+) individuals' online information interactions and meaning‐making with peers during their life transitions of identity construction. Our analysis reveals LGBTQIA+ people's life challenges across three transition stages (being aware of, exploring, and living with a new identity). Three main types of online peer interactions were identified within: cognitive, affective, and situational peer interactions. We found that online peer interactions are not only a type of information source that LGBTQIA+ individuals use to acquire understanding about themselves but a unique space for transformation learning and meaning‐making where they share self‐examination and reflection, conduct assessments and assumptions, and obtain strength and skills to initiate and adapt life transitions. The findings have theoretical contributions to the development of information behavior models of transitions and practical implications on providing information services that support LGBTQIA+ individuals' meaning‐making during the life transition.

Abstract Value co‐creation as a research topic has been a critical proposition of interest to a wide range of disciplines. In recent years, the field of cultural heritage has also developed a range of information practices to promote different forms of value co‐creation. While the body of literature has begun to accumulate, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of conceptual foundations and how value co‐creation is implemented in cultural heritage information practices. This paper conducted a hermeneutic literature review to understand and conceptualize the core aspects of value co‐creation in various cultural heritage information works. In particular, this paper provides a research mapping of the genres of co‐creation in cultural heritage information practices, the actors, and the roles played by the stakeholders. Further, this review provides an overview of the dominant value co‐creation models in the cultural heritage field. It distills the drivers of value co‐creation and the core value consequences that arise from a process perspective. Finally, this paper puts forward a thematic, theoretical, and methodological agenda for future work based on these findings. The review contributes to the literature by proposing an integrated conceptual framework that summarizes the core elements of value co‐creation in cultural heritage information practices. The framework also serves as a call for action, providing a general understanding of the conceptual foundation for future research.

The library's information practices on immersive technologies help to enhance the scenario-based user experience. However, there has been limited research on user engagement with immersive technologies in the medical library setting. In this exploratory study, we conducted interviews and on-site observations with 17 medical students who had experience with immersive technologies at the medical library. The affordance lens was used to explore how the relationship between immersive technologies and medical students enables and constrains their information practices. The preliminary results suggest that users’ perceived affordances of immersive technologies are not a solid outcome but a dynamic process. In our case, users’ perceptions of technology affordances can be categorized into perceived entertainment affordances, perceived learning affordances, perceived instrumental affordances, and perceived socializing affordances. We also identified three perceived constraints in medical students’ experiences with immersive technologies in the library setting. The study contributes to the literature on user engagement from an affordance perspective, and yield practical implications for medical training and education by leveraging the immersive technologies in the library context.

As part of an ongoing project, this paper investigates LGBTQ+ individuals? information behaviour in online communities. Drawing on the perspective of Relationship Motivation Theory (RMT), this study focused on the relatedness needs expressed by LGBTQ+ individuals that motivated them to seek and share information in online communities. Through a deductive thematic analysis of 156 posts to an LGBTQ+ online forum, our analysis reveals three main categories of relatedness needs: needs around being cared about, needs around caring for others and needs to build and maintain relationships. Implications for system design that better afford LGBTQ+ individuals? needs for relatedness are discussed.

Abstract In this opinion paper, we frame a discussion on paradigm shift(s) in the field of information. We believe that in this astonishing historical moment of new directions and new opportunities both the existing paradigms and conceptual models in the field of information can benefit from re‐examination to stay current with the times. We propose a framework articulating key narratives associated with the why, what, how, and who dimensions to discuss paradigm shift(s). The purpose of this opinion paper is to initiate dialogues on ground‐breaking ideas and innovative solutions as well as support research that addresses contemporary challenges in the field of information.

COVID-19 has brought a great impact on people's lives around the world. This paper aims to study the influencing factors of people's fear of missing out (FOMO) toward personal ICT use and its further impact on life satisfaction during the pandemic. A sample consisting of 318 participants was obtained by an online survey in China. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used for data analysis. The results suggested that people's anxiety and boredom brought by the pandemic are positively correlated with their FOMO. People with higher FOMO used personal ICTs more frequently for both social and process purposes. Furthermore, the social use of ICTs promoted people's life satisfaction, while the process use of ICTs had no significant effect on life satisfaction. Several theoretical and practical implications were discussed based on the results.

More and more social Q&A platforms are launching a new business model to monetize online knowledge. This monetizing process introduces a more complicated cost and benefit tradeoff to users, especially for askers' concerns. Much of the previous research was conducted in the context of free‐based Q&A platform, which hardly explains the triggers that motivate askers' pay intention. Based on the theories of social exchange and social capital, this study aims to identify and examine the antecedents of askers' pay intention from the perspective of benefit and cost. We empirically test our predictions based on survey data collected from 322 actual askers in a well‐known trilateral payment‐based social Q&A platform in China. The results by partial least squares (PLS) analysis indicate that besides noneconomic benefits including self‐enhancement, social support, and entertainment, financial factors such as cost and benefit have significant influences on the perceived value of using trilateral payment‐based Q&A platforms. More important, we further identify that the effect of financial benefit is moderated by perceived reciprocity belief, and the effect of perceived value is moderated by perceived trust in answerers. Our findings contribute to the previous literature by proposing a theoretical model that explains askers' behavioral intention, and the practical implications for payment‐based Q&A service providers and participants.

Understanding the factors and mechanism that affect the users’ abandon behaviors is necessary for the sustained use of Social Networking Sites (SNSs). This study focuses on a special SNS discontinuance phenomenon—user exodus. Compared to individual discontinuance behavior studied in prior research, the SNS user exodus possesses its own characteristics: a huge magnitude of users abandon a given SNS product in a very short time. Given the fatal blow of exodus to SNS providers, this exploratory research seeks to unravel why and how the SNS user exodus occurs. Specifically, we conducted a mixed‐method research combining laddering interview and network analysis. Drawing on the means‐end chain theory, laddering interviews were first used to collect data from discontinuers of a Chinese SNS, Kaixin001, which has experienced a severe user dropout. Then we identified various factors triggering user exodus by content analysis. Last, network analysis was employed to establish the connections between various attributes, consequences, and values. The results showed that user exodus in SNS is strongly related to three types of value: functional, affective, and social value. More important, we also emphasized the dynamics process of exodus by highlighting the role of lurking. Possible contributions and implications of our findings are discussed.