Although there is no standard or distinctively better way of organizing those different views, the following section offers a review of what the term "information industry" might entail, and why.
The term "information industry" is mostly identified with computer programming, system design, telecommunications, and others.
Media products such as television programs and movies, published books and periodicals would constitute probably among the most accepted part of what information goods can be.
For others, information is something that is mentally processed and consumed, either to improve other activities (such as production) or for personal enjoyment; it would include artists and architects.
Although those services do not necessarily provide information, they often offer expertise in making decisions on behalf of clients.
If legal, economic, cultural, and historical circumstances were different, the broadcasters would have been the producers of their own programs.
Therefore, in order to capture the information related activities of the economy, it might be a good idea to include this type of industry.
Instead, this segment serves as an infrastructure for those activities, making production of information and decision-making services to be a lot more efficient.
One can say these industries involve a great deal of sophisticated decision-making, although that part is combined with manufacturing or "non-informational" activities.
Finally, there are industries that are not research intensive, but serve as infrastructure for information production and sophisticated decision-making.
As stated above, this list of candidates for information industries is not a definitive way of organizing differences that researchers may pay attention to when they define the term.
Even among the experts who think industries are important, disagreements may exist regarding which reason to accept and which to reject.