Ethics and Social Responsibility in Information Behavior, an Interdisciplinary Research in Uruguay

Abstract

Abstract This article presents a series of projects focused, within the framework of the ethical and social responsibility of a Latin American public university, on the information behavior of disadvantaged people, developed from 2008 to the present, within the Information Institute of the University of the Republic, Uruguay. They arose from the views and ideas supported by the project leaders and teams concerning the deficiencies and limitations in the access, use, and appropriation of necessary, relevant, valuable, and reliable information for the personal and social development of social sectors in unfavorable situations in the contexts in which they live. Each of the studies has real social impacts on information policy agendas, incorporating actions to achieve the 2030 Agenda. The projects comprise the theoretical and methodological perspectives presented in each one on the field of information behavior and related to each situation problem identified in a specific user community. The research subjects were young women (2008–2010), adolescents (2010–2015), older women (2017–2019), and family members of children with autism spectrum syndrome (ASD) (2021–2023). We seek to understand the social realities of information and information technologies insofar as most investigations incorporate the development and use of ICTs in the quest to disseminate inclusive information.