Information Experience within Multispecies Families: Understanding shared life with companion cats and dogs

Information Science is about understanding humans and their lives through the lens of information. But humans share their lives not only with other humans, but also with animals. Among them, companion species such as cats and dogs hold a distinct and important place in our homes and communities. Just like humans, they are social creatures and learn from their interactions with others. The strong bond between humans and animal companions creates a special relationship, where cats and dogs are considered part of the family, forming what is called multispecies families. Nonetheless, there are instances where a lack of understanding leads to unmet needs for the companion species (i.e., human, cat, and dog) who live together in a family context. This can lead to issues that impact the overall well-being of the entire family, especially the non-human members.

This issue of not understanding well how to live with and care for animals is connected to the “red thread of information” (Bates, 1999) which goes into and across the multispecies family. Better understanding leads to better care for others. It is crucial to understand how members of such families experience information to inform their interactions and perceptions related to each other. The central focus is to identify the fundamental element of information that shapes the everyday activities of humans and their companion cats and dogs. So, the purpose of this research is to explore information experience within multispecies families to understand what information is and how it is used (i.e., the totality of their information engagement).

This thesis has a holistic approach to understanding information phenomena in everyday life within the context of multispecies families. It is positioned within the metatheories of phenomenology and posthumanism. However, the practice of incorporating animals with humans into information research is not straightforward. To achieve it successfully, it adopted a creative and playful methodological approach to discover unconventional ways of thinking about multispecies phenomenological ethnography. Ten families participated in this research, including 13 humans, 7 cats, and 11 dogs, which were recruited from an online survey conducted in New Zealand and were selected in terms of the role and relationship of the animal in the family. For collecting experiential material from participating multispecies families, several methodological strategies, including speaking for the animal, listening differently, walking and sensing, photography, and technological mediation were found effective. To thematize the meanings embedded in the experiential materials, a reflective approach was adopted, incorporating elements from thematic analysis and visual analysis, leading to phenomenological writing.

The findings are organized into four papers. The introductory paper provides a broad yet concise overview of the external and internal elements that humans find informative in their shared lives with cats and dogs. Subsequently, across three phenomenological papers, the thesis comprehensively explores the information that shapes multispecies love, living, and learning. Each paper weaves together different aspects of information within the context of daily life with companion animals. Love emerges as a foundational element within the multispecies family. It is portrayed through affective information conveyed in human-animal interactions and their perceptions of each other's existence and actions, using their physical and sensory bodies. Extending beyond living beings, the research illuminates how non-living objects within the family environment also contribute to shaping information. Material items, spaces, and even plants serve as sources of information for family members. It explores their social environment, showcasing how their shared lives actively shape and are shaped by information experienced through social interactions and companionship with other humans and animals. The last finding chapter returns to the internal dynamics of human-animal relationship and highlights unconventional yet innovative cognitive information that shapes learning in multispecies families. It explores the knowings of companion cats, dogs, and humans, grounded in their past experiences, attention, observation, habits, instincts, experiments, and imagination. It discusses cognitive information that transcends individual minds, promoting unity through mutual communication, play, and empathy between humans and animals.

Combining the findings, the thesis makes a strong contribution to information experience. By extending our care for animals into the realm of information science, I demonstrated how a multispecies information experience can enrich our comprehension of information, its engagement, and its context. On the theoretical front, it refines and applies the concept of information experience to more-than-human, a broader context of human relationships with others. It presents an approach that elucidates the diversity of information forms, the entirety of information engagements, and greater inclusivity of individuals as information experiencers within a particular context. As for the methodological implications, this thesis brings humans as conjoined with other life forms and found ways to include animals in information behaviour research. On the practical side, it imparts insights into designing information for and with multispecies environments and advocates for the integration of a multispecies approach within information institutions, aiming to foster more inclusive and compassionate practices.