Information vs. Knowledge
Information is a flow of messages or meanings which might add to, restructure, or change knowledge. It is syntactic, measurable by volume without regard to meaning or value.
Knowledge is created and organized by the very flow of information, anchored on the commitment and beliefs of its holder. It is semantic, interpreted relative to what the receiver already knows.
The key difference: Information is context-free. Knowledge is context-dependent.
Information becomes knowledge when a person receives it and interprets it relative to their existing understanding. The same information yields different knowledge in different people because knowledge depends on the receiver’s frame of reference.
This distinction matters because systems can process information, but only people can create knowledge. Information processing is necessary but not sufficient for knowledge creation.
As Bateson put it: “Information consists of differences that make a difference.”
Related: 06-atom—tacit-knowledge-definition, 06-atom—explicit-knowledge-definition, 06-molecule—knowledge-spiral