Shared agency in information behaviour research: Human–Nonhuman interactions
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64201Keywords:
Shared agency, Information behaviour, Nonhuman agency, Human-AI collaboration, Participatory sense-making, Secondary data analysisAbstract
Introduction. This study examines shared agency in information behaviour, advancing a post-anthropocentric perspective that recognises how humans co-participate with technological, biological, and environmental entities when interacting with information.
Method. Using secondary data analysis, the study synthesises findings from four previously published projects employing autoethnography, visual ethnography, mixed methods, and reflective phenomenology. These studies provide empirical insights from contexts including yoga, social media misinformation, and human–companion animal relationships.
Analysis. A cross-case thematic analysis was conducted, guided by theoretical frameworks from embodiment, sociomateriality, and multispecies perspective, to examine how agency emerges relationally across different assemblages.
Results. Three themes were identified. First, agency is not individually possessed but emerges between entities. Second, it is enacted through material-affective engagements involving bodies and environments. Third, it is grounded in caring connections with others. These findings show that meaning emerges through dynamic interaction rather than isolated individual action.
Conclusion. Information behaviour is a relational achievement of shared agency. This reconceptualisation offers insights for ethical and effective human–AI collaborations, encouraging a shift from viewing technologies as tools toward mutual incorporation and participatory sense-making.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Niloofar Solhjoo , Jia Tina Du , Yazdan Mansourian
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