As the world enters the Knowledge Age, information on virtually every aspect of our lives and businesses is becoming available at an increasing rate. When the availability of information outstrips the time and energy of those who could potentially use it, frustration can result. This condition is often referred to as information overload or infoglut. Left unresolved, this can lead to inefficiency at best, job burnout at worst.
When the availability of information outstrips the time and energy of those who could potentially use it, frustration can result. This condition is often referred to as information overload or infoglut. Left unresolved, this can lead to inefficiency at best, job burnout at worst.
Information overload is one of many contributing factors to technostress and job burnout. Frustration with the inability to keep up with change can cause highly intelligent and knowledgeable people to begin to doubt their abilities, lose interest in their careers, and can even cause serious health decline.
One major component of information overload is inbox overload - too much email. It is easy to send email - almost too easy. People send emails about topics which otherwise wouldn't be worth the time, leading to a glut of email. Of course, spam and almost-spam (forwarded jokes or cartoons and such) are growing issues as well.
One major component of information overload is inbox overload - too much email. It is easy to send email - almost too easy. People send emails about topics which otherwise wouldn''t be worth the time, leading to a glut of email. Of course, spam and almost-spam (forwarded jokes or cartoons and such) are growing issues as well.
Printed text is designed to be linear. We begin at the beginning, and proceed to the end. This is a good strategy while building a base of knowledge on a topic. Once that base is built, the strategy shifts to filling in the holes and selectively expanding what we know. This is non-linear learning. The index and the reference manual meet this need in print. The computer is optimized for non-linearity, and the early development of hypertext is the best example. The brain's internal wiring is non-linear. Our thinking constantly branches off in diverse directions as incoming information is processed. We can take advantage of this to defeat information overload.