From pace layering to resilience theory: the complex implications of tagging for information architecture

Abstract

This paper will present a framework for adapting theories of complexity, pace layering and resilience to the question of tagging and folksonomies, and their influence on the practice of information architecture. In so doing, it represents a step towards the development of a body of theory that can serve the purpose of information architecture as both a professional practice and a field of intellectual study. The tagging phenomenon represents the greatest challenge we have yet faced in our field's working relationship with complex systems. Instead of replacing "mess" with controlled vocabularies and sound hierarchies, we must now accept the mess of folksonomies into a permanent relationship with our ordered structures. We need theoretical and practical insights from other complex systems to ensure that this relationship remains productive, rather than destructive. Information architecture has a history of incorporating approaches and theories from other fields: graphic design, library science, cognitive science, usability and human-computer interaction. To date, however, these cross-disciplinary influences have been used directly to improve practice. We hope, through this initial framework, to show how research can be used to enrich this process. We aim to show how other fields can used to create a body of theory that belongs uniquely to information architecture, and which, once created, can affect IA practice on a much wider scale. At the very least, such efforts will enrich our understanding of our field; at best, they may ensure the survival and the healthy evolution of our best work.