But that's not how language works. Language cannot fully represent, or accurately point to, an external reality. Language, cultural theorists hold, constructs reality through a play of differences and in a specific context. 9 One reason that keyword searching is so inadequate is that it's built on a model of language and representation that has rightly been discarded as inaccurate. 11 Information retrieval and organization are processes of communication and, thus, depend on context.
Taxonomies mitigate against the complexities of representation in information retrieval.
They contextualize the search and knowledge management process. Furthermore, directories are constructed, ideally, to suit the needs of a particular end-user population within a specific cultural and institutional context. Therefore, they clearly articulate a specific point of view instead of seeming to act as mirrors of a pre-existent reality. It is no small irony that taxonomies, rigid organizational structures, facilitate the mental zigzag of leaping from idea to idea. Taxonomies, hierarchies, etc. encourage creativity because they provide a structure end-users may react to and play against.