• My Comments
• Summary
• Conclusion

My Comments

This study is very recent and does a great job giving an overview of the research on information overwhelm, and it's written by one of the top researchers on the topic. It's a good place to start.

Summary

For almost as long as there has been recorded information, there has been a perception that humanity has been overloaded by it. Concerns about 'too much to read' have been expressed for many centuries, and made more urgent since the arrival of ubiquitous digital information in the late twentieth century. The historical perspective is a necessary corrective to the often, and wrongly, held view that it is associated solely with the modern digital information environment, and with social media in particular. However, as society fully experiences Floridi's Fourth Revolution, and moves into hyper-history (with society dependent on, and defined by, information and communication technologies) and the infosphere (a information environment distinguished by a seamless blend of online and offline information activity), individuals and societies are dependent on, and formed by, information in an unprecedented way, information overload needs to be taken more seriously than ever.

Overload has been claimed to be both the major issue of our time, and a complete non-issue. It has been cited as an important factor in, inter alia, science, medicine, education, politics, governance, business and marketing, planning for smart cities, access to news, personal data tracking, home life, use of social media, and online shopping, and has even influenced literature The information overload phenomenon has been known by many different names, including: information overabundance, infobesity, infoglut, data smog, information pollution, information fatigue, social media fatigue, social media overload, information anxiety, library anxiety, infostress, infoxication, reading overload, communication overload, cognitive overload, information violence, and information assault. There is no single generally accepted definition, but it can best be understood as that situation which arises when there is so much relevant and potentially useful information available that it becomes a hindrance rather than a help. Its essential nature has not changed with changing technology, though its causes and proposed solutions have changed much. The best ways of avoiding overload, individually and socially, appear to lie in a variety of coping strategies, such as filtering, withdrawing, queuing, and 'satisficing'. Better design of information systems, effective personal information management, and the promotion of digital and media literacies, also have a part to play. Overload may perhaps best be overcome by seeking a mindful balance in consuming information, and in finding understanding

Conclusion

Information overload is real. It is not a myth or a phantom. For almost as long as there has been information, there has been a perception that humanity has been overloaded by it. The essential nature of overload has not changed with changing technology, though its causes and proposed solutions have changed very much. The people, and the mechanisms, which suffer from overload are by and large the same those which cause it. The problem has never completely overwhelmed individuals, organizations or societies, but equally it has never gone away. The best ways of avoiding overload, individually and socially, appear to lie in a variety of coping strategies to enable satisficing, and in seeking a mindful balance in consuming information and finding understanding.

The difference in the 21st century is that, with the move to hyper-history and the infosphere, individuals and societies are dependent on, and formed by, information in an unprecedented way. Information overload needs to be taken more seriously than ever