Information Overload
Information overload is a term used to describe feelings of being bombarded with information and unable to process this information. This is often caused by the overwhelming number of different types of choices available today due to advances in technology and increased access to information.
People can experience a variety of symptoms such as: fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and stress. These symptoms can cause people's work performance levels to decrease or lead them feeling overwhelmed and stopping their work altogether.
These symptoms have been shown in studies as leading people towards activities that are less productive than they might otherwise be; specifically an increase in alcohol use has been associated with an increase in anxiety and frustration which leads people towards more alcohol use, rather than problem-solving behavior.
Information overload was first described as a concept in the early 1900s by sociologists investigating the effects of technological advances on American workers. It was not until the 1980s that information overload was given its current meaning. Dr. Gloria Mark, a professor in informatics at UC Irvine, conducted one of the first studies to scientifically observe information overload. Her study observed software developers and web designers who were involved in creating content for two different companies at the same time (e-learning software and online retail websites). Dr. Mark found that these workers spent very little time on their main work tasks due to being distracted by an overwhelming number of e-mails, instant messages, phone calls, and other interruptions throughout their day.
One study conducted in 2011 by Dr. Mark and her team describes the characteristics that cause information overload. According to this study, information overload is "a situation that occurs when people face excessive amounts of information from multiple sources that are perceived as irrelevant for accomplishing a given task". The researchers also analyzed the effects of information overload both mentally and physically. People who were exposed to more choices than necessary would not only experience stress, but also lack motivation and creativity. Physically, workers reported decreased stamina, loss of concentration and memory loss.
Psychologically, there are many factors contributing to information overload. The first is the sheer number of inputs that a person can have, which can be as few as 550 or as many as 10,000. The second factor is how the information was received. For example, if someone reads an email and then continues to think about it, the associated psychological and physiological responses are different from someone who receives an email, works with it for 30 minutes and then forgets about it.
People typically respond to information overload in one of four ways:
1. Accommodation (adapting to the information): people often adjust to new conditions by finding new ways of performing their jobs.
2. Reorientation (changing the way they work): people may change their habits and workflow to better use new technology and information.
3. Disengagement (dropping out): people may respond by reducing their effort at work or withdrawing from normal activities, such as reducing participation in social media sites. The study cited an example of employees who were re-assigned to a different job after reporting symptoms of information overload at their original job.
4. Redirection (finding ways to manage information): people may create new ways of managing information, such as using new technologies to organize or searching for other available resources on the internet.
General:
Information Overload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-1SLiT1u6c
Information Overload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8yMT0OB-jKw
Information Overload:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LJRPQak2OcM
General:
http://voices.yahoo.com/information-overload-causes-effects-2390539.html?cat=37 Also impacts us in terms of reduce IQ etc...http://digitaldialogueblog.com/2012/08/02/information-overload-reduce-iq-and-killing-creativity/
Information Overload:
http://www.nature.com/scitable/topicpage/information-overload-1125
General: http://scienceblogs.com/cortex/2009/06/_information_overload_.php?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=reader&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Cortex+%28Cortex%29
General: http://www.techradar.com/news/internet-of-things/information-overload-is-causing-the-tech-sphere-to-collapse
Information Overload:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/theory-fiction/201509/information-overload
General: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/21/information_overload_kotak_viewer_race_drawing_video__n_4264025.html?ncid=txtlnkusaolp00000592
Information Overload:
General: http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/90413-is-information-overload-killing-us
Information Overload:
http://www.stretcher.com/news/technology/study-shows-researchers-worrying-about-too-much_164868.html
General: http://theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/07/have-you-ever?single_page=true&c=home#2
General: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/magazine/08intelligence.hmtl?_r=2&pagewanted=all
Information Overload:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/23/nyregion/nys-new-study-points-to-a-huge-overload-of-information.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20140623&ref=lh&action=click®ion=open&contentCollection=science
General: http://www.paulsalley.com/?p=-26963
Information Overload:
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2012/apr/03/internet-istanbul-frerk
Information Overload: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/opinion/sundayroomreader-no-problem-with-information-overload.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
General:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/14/-overloaded-people-tired_n_5658363.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology
General: http://www.theguardian.
Conclusion: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/26/opinion/sunday-room-reader-no-problem-with-information-overload.html?smid=tw-share&_r=0
General: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marc-prensky/information-overload_b_4766165.html?utm_hp_ref=technology&ir=Technology
Information Overload:
https://medium.
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Information Overload