2. The Language of Information
Luciano Floridi · Information · 2010
Information is a conceptual labyrinth, but ‘the language of information’ provides a means to find our bearings on this conceptual map. The information we use in everyday life is comprised of data coupled with a meaning. Information generally consists of different types of data: primary data, secondary data, metadata, operational data, and derivative data. Data does not have to be observed first hand — environmental information is data about one system which has been observed by another. Data with meaning is also known as semantic content, which can either be factual (x is true or false), or instructional (x needs to be performed).