Portal:Digital Identity

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What is Digital Information Overload?

Information overload refers to the increasingly frequent state of having too much information to make a decision or remain informed about a topic. This problem can lead to low productivity, frustration, stress, and poor decision making.

Information Overload: Past and Present

The term “Information Overload” was coined by Alvin Toffler in his 1970 book, Future Shock. According to Wikipedia, information overload is “the state of having too much information to make a decision or remain informed about a topic.” The overabundance of information is a result of both a large quantity of existing information and a high rate of production of new information. (“Information explosion” refers to the high rate at which new information is published.)

The problem of information overload in today’s digital world is different from the problem faced by scholars in the 16th century. Computers and the internet have amplified the problem. Besides making it easier to publish new information and store archives of old material, the level of connectedness with which many of us live has made information overload a more active and interruptive problem. Konrad von Gesner, who lamented the amount of books in the mid sixteenth century, may have been overloaded with information while researching, reading, or investigating. When he was not actively working, however, he was likely able to relax and focus on that which he desired. Today, such an act is more difficult. From the businesswoman whose BlackBerry continuously notifies her of new messages which beg for her attention to the student whose essay writing is interrupted with e-mails, instant messages, and text messages, we are deluged with information.

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Narratives

Elizabeth stares at her screen. It feels a bit like an extension of herself, if she’s honest about it. Or like a best friend. Especially during a boring, boring class.

She’s pretending to pay attention to a truly stultifying lecture on Justice. It’s part of the core curriculum and something she more or less has to take in her first year of college. The teacher is droning on.

IM from Elizabeth to Keisha, a friend from Second Life who is taking the class as a distance student: “u watching this? This guy is just mailing it in, K. What a waste.” Then: “I wonder if he thinks about the fact that we pay for this.”

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Solutions

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