Information Seeking Behavior and Information Blockades: An Antithetical Relationship?

ABSTRACT With more than half of the humans on the planet becoming internet users, the amount of information created and accessed is enormous. The Internet has become the most popular medium and source for seeking information. The information-seeking behavior is exhibiting itself. In Kashmir, India – users, businesses, and institutions use Internet to access and disseminate information. But, information blockades seem to hamper the seeking and delivering of information. Information blockades have become an increasing occurrence in various countries worldwide. Most often imposed in regions that witness some form of instability, such as economic or political; information blockades disrupt the primary communication channels. However, studies exploring the relationship between information-seeking behavior and information blockades are scarce. This study is a novel call for focusing research endeavors on information-seeking behavior and its antithetical counterpart, i.e. Information blockade. This paper uses various statistical resources and employs an intensive content analysis method to analyze the literature and identify key themes and patterns of research undertaken on information-seeking behavior and information blockades, especially in Kashmir, India. For the current discourse, ostensibly, the two phenomena have an antithetical relationship and more studies need to be conducted to understand the dynamics of how these two phenomena co-exist.