A proposition that, when the volume or accessibility of mass information increases, people of higher socioeconomic status tend to acquire that information faster than lower-status groups, producing or widening disparities in knowledge and related capacities.

Principle

When informational supply expands, unequal access to resources (education, literacy, time, social networks, technology) produces differential acquisition rates across socioeconomic groups, causing informational inequality to grow absent compensating measures.

Demonstration

Illustrative scenario → A public health authority launches an extensive online information campaign about a new prevention measure. Recognition: University‑educated citizens with reliable internet and health literacy find, interpret and act on the guidance rapidly. Action: Lower‑income residents with limited access and lower digital literacy obtain the information later or not at all. Consequence: Measured knowledge and adoption rates diverge, increasing the gap in informed decision‑making.

Misapplication

Interpreting the hypothesis to mean that any increase in information supply will automatically widen gaps in every context. The error ignores mediating variables (targeted outreach, platform accessibility, trusted intermediaries) that can alter acquisition rates.

Consequence

Absent interventions that equalize access or comprehension, information expansions can exacerbate disparities in political participation, health behaviors, economic opportunity and civic knowledge by shifting relative capacities rather than eliminating ignorance uniformly.

Reversal

The pattern can be reversed or neutralized when information dissemination is accompanied by targeted access measures (community outreach, translated materials, low‑bandwidth formats), mandatory education, or when the information requires minimal prior skill to use, producing near‑uniform uptake.

Boundary

Within scope: macro changes in information supply or accessibility (new media platforms, public campaigns) interacting with socioeconomic differences. Outside scope: explanations for knowledge differences solely attributable to unrelated structural factors (e.g., formal curricular deficiencies) when information supply is unchanged.

Semantic Tension

Equity ↔ Efficiency — policies prioritizing rapid widespread dissemination (efficiency) may not address unequal uptake (equity), requiring trade‑offs in design and resource allocation.

Synthesis

The hypothesis reframes information policy: supplying more information is necessary but not sufficient for equal knowledge; addressing differential access and absorptive capacity is the operative condition for preventing widened informational inequality.