Towards a Conceptualization of Data and Information Quality in Social Information Systems

Data and information quality (DIQ) have been defined traditionally in an organizational context and with respect to traditional information systems (IS). Numerous frameworks have been developed to operationalize traditional DIQ accordingly. However, over the last decade, social information systems (SocIS) such as social media have emerged that enable social interaction and open collaboration of voluntary prosumers, rather than supporting specific tasks as do traditional IS in organizations. Based on a systematic literature review, the paper identifies and categorizes prevalent DIQ conceptualizations. The authors differentiate the various understandings of DIQ in light of the unique characteristics of SocIS and conclude that they do not capture DIQ in SocIS well, nor how it is defined, maintained, and improved through social interaction. The paper proposes a new conceptualization of DIQ in SocIS that can explain the interplay of existing conceptualizations and provides the foundation for future research on DIQ in SocIS.