Are you ready to deal with Information Overload ?
With the advancements of the Computer Age over the past two decades, access to information has never been easier. However, this same access has never been as voluminous as it is today.
Every day, we are exposed to a multitude of different information and content. Who doesn’t receive dozens of pieces of content on different topics every day? In a volume far greater than they can handle?
Learn more about information generation and Information Overload now in this content.
Information Overload: understand what it is and the concept of Information Overload
Information Overload is a concept and definition used to define a state of information overload. It is also sometimes defined as Information Fatigue Syndrome (IFS) .
In other words, it is the phenomenon in which an individual or group is exposed to a greater amount of information than they can assimilate. In other words, an amount of information that simply cannot be processed completely by one or more people.
Information overload has been a more prevalent phenomenon since the printing press revolution in the 15th century. However, the discussion about it has gained more space in recent years. Possibly due to the advances in ease of access to information caused by the Computer Age.
How information overload can be perceived today
Information Overload can be easily perceived in the daily lives of most people in the world.
An example that almost everyone has experienced is feeling lost when searching on the internet. Where you search for a specific subject or question – on Google, for example – and are exposed to millions of results .
In this example, the number of results that appear for the person's search is infinitely greater than they can process.
And in the midst of this type of information latvia email list overload, decision-making, choosing which website/page to access, is compromised.
When this happens it is called cognitive overload .
What causes Information Overload?
One of the most prominent and common causes of Information Overload today is widespread access to the internet.
Excessive use of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, among others, are major causes of the problem. Online consumption of news and advertising in large quantities can also cause Information Overload .
However, offline news, advertisements on the street, documents at work to analyze, and other sources of information can also cause cognitive overload.
Consequences of Information Overload
Information overload can lead to a number of consequences for those afflicted by it. In other words, virtually everyone who is actively connected to information sources is affected in some way by IFS.
One of these consequences is headaches caused by information overload. Following these headaches, many people also report feeling a type of mental and even physical exhaustion.
This happens because the brain is overloaded with processing so much information. The brain is forced to make decisions based on all the information it receives .
However, when there are too many of them, decision-making becomes difficult or impossible. And this leads to severe physical and mental exhaustion.
Information Overload in Corporate Education
In addition to all the sources of information that a person has access to and is used to consuming on a daily basis, a Corporate Education project can often become exhausting for an employee. The number of courses, videos, quizzes, reading materials, among others, must be designed in a way that employees can absorb in their own time, one thing at a time.
When developing this type of project, consider how much content is made available to the student at a time and what the requirements are for the frequency of new knowledge in the assessments carried out. Maintaining a channel of communication with your collaborators during the implementation of a project of this type is crucial to maintain engagement, ensure learning and avoid problems such as those caused by information overload.
How to deal with Information Overload
If you or a collaborator in your company is feeling that the information that reaches you and must be absorbed every day is above the limit, the best way to deal with information overload and not suffer from its consequences is to avoid its effects .
Although it is virtually impossible these days to avoid being surrounded by a multitude of information at every moment, it is recommended that a better job be done in selecting the information with which to engage throughout the day.