Knowing within multispecies families: An information experience study

Abstract

The transition of a companion animal and a human companion into a shared family context is an everyday yet complex process that involves information interactions. Concerned with the cognitive information that resides within humans’ and animals’ minds, this article aims to explore the knowings (having knowledge or awareness about something) of all multispecies family members. Building upon an information experience approach, the research process consisted of experiential material gathering with multispecies ethnography, followed by phenomenological reflections and writing. Findings are organised into three main sections: animal knowing, human knowing and their engaged knowing. The cognitive information presented in this study is sometimes unconventional, yet innovative within the field of Information Science. the article contributes to the cognitive view of information by showing how diverse information from both humans and animals interweaves to shape a harmonious understanding in everyday life and provides implications for information research, practice and design.