Coping with Information Overload

What is "information overload"?

Long before the Internet we recognised that there was so much information "out there" that keeping up with it is more than a full time job. Now, with the improvements brought about by electronic communication, all this information is no longer "out there" but is insistently coming over the Internet, clogging our computers and damaging our ability to think straight. The worst aspect is that and institution that has the capacity to help manage information should instead be overloading us.

Contributing factors

• we are now easily accessible
• other people do not know what we are interested in and force on us things we would never, normally, consider
• spam
• even the interesting stuff is time consuming
• the urge to respond
• huge amount of poorly organized information
• commercialization of the Internet

Symptoms

• too much email
• inability to find what you want
• disillusion
• withdrawal
• hostility

Consequences

• missed opportunities
• the Internet will develop anyway, with or without our participation. We may not like what will happen if we don't stay engaged

Coping strategies

• Vigorous email communication on an email list is not for everyone.
• You have to enjoy communicating and find other people's point of view interestingto stay happy.
• Take precautions to minimize spam
• Set filters to pre-sort your incoming mail into categories
• Use the delete button. You don't have to read everything let alone answer it. If the subject doesn't sound like something that you are interested in turn it away.
• Get your secretary to pre-sort your email - she already does that for your ordinary mail.
• Answer messages concisely, and only when you have something to say.
• Try not to contribute to other people's overload by trimming your messages and avoiding unnecessary repetition of what was sent before.

Your friend, the delete button

 Coping with Information Overload (C.W.Oliver Jan 18 1999) The sources of overload and strategies to reduce it.