Information Overload: Causes, Symptoms, Consequences and Solutions

Abstract

This paper looks at the concept of Information, over, load and information overload respectively, a brief history of how information overload came into existence. It also outlined some salient factors that are responsible for or causes information overload and they entail the followings as enshrined in the study: Multiple sources of information; the availability of too much information; the difficulty in managing information; the information's irrelevance or insignificance; The inability to comprehend the material due to a lack of time. Furthermore, massive amounts of fresh information are constantly being created on a daily basis; pressure to create and compete in the provision of knowledge, particularly in the academic setting. The lack of complexity and nascent simplicity of creating, duplicating, and sharing information online, leading to a quantity over quality effect in many institutions and businesses; the absence of complexity and nascent simplicity of creating, copying, and sharing information online; The exponential development of information delivery methods, such as radio, television, print media, websites, e-mail, mobile telephony, RSS feeds, and so on; the growing weight of historical data available to us; a plethora of inconsistent, contradicting, and simply wrong information; the lack of clear structure in groups of information and poor clues as to the relationships between those groups; the lack of simple procedures for quickly processing, comparing, and evaluating information sources; the lack of clear structure in groups of information and poor clues as to the relationships between those groups. The study pointed out some symptoms that can be seen as evidence or signs indicating that there is the presence of information overload thereafter, it brought out some consequences of information overload specifically to an individual and collectively to an organization. In this paper the researcher ended the work by outlining some remedies on how to combat information overload since it has become a matter that has come to stay.

Full text

Asian Journal of Information Science and Technology
ISSN: 2231-6108 Vol.11 No.2, 2021, pp.1-6
© The Research Publication, www.trp.org.in
DOI: 10.51983/ajist-2021.11.2.2887
Information Overload: Causes, Symptoms, Consequences and Solutions
Okolo Efe Stanley
Collection Development Librarian, Rode Cecil Ibru Library, Michael and Cecilia Ibru University, Delta State, Nigeria
Email: stanleyokolo45@yahoo.com, okolostnl@gmail.com
Abstract - This paper looks at the concept of Information, over,
load and information overload respectively, a brief history of
how information overload came into existence. It also outlined
some salient factors that are responsible for or causes
information overload and they entail the followings as
enshrined in the study: Multiple sources of information; the
availability of too much information; the difficulty in
managing information; the information's irrelevance or
insignificance; The inability to comprehend the material due to
a lack of time. Furthermore, massive amounts of fresh
information are constantly being created on a daily basis;
pressure to create and compete in the provision of knowledge,
particularly in the academic setting. The lack of complexity
and nascent simplicity of creating, duplicating, and sharing
information online, leading to a quantity over quality effect in
many institutions and businesses; the absence of complexity
and nascent simplicity of creating, copying, and sharing
information online; The exponential development of
information delivery methods, such as radio, television, print
media, websites, e-mail, mobile telephony, RSS feeds, and so
on; the growing weight of historical data available to us; a
plethora of inconsistent, contradicting, and simply wrong
information; the lack of clear structure in groups of
information and poor clues as to the relationships between
those groups; the lack of simple procedures for quickly
processing, comparing, and evaluating information sources;
the lack of clear structure in groups of information and poor
clues as to the relationships between those groups. The study
pointed out some symptoms that can be seen as evidence or
signs indicating that there is the presence of information
overload thereafter, it brought out some consequences of
information overload specifically to an individual and
collectively to an organization. In this paper the researcher
ended the work by outlining some remedies on how to combat
information overload since it has become a matter that has
come to stay.
Keywords: Information, Overload, Information Overload,
Causes, Consequences, Solutions
I. INTRODUCTION
Information is what rules the world today; it is likened to a
key that has the ability to open all doors without any
restriction. No wonder it is been considered by scholars as
the fifth factor of production. Whoever that possess’ it is
likened to a powerful nation such that he or she is seen as a
world power who decides the fate of other nations as the
case may be. Pavel V. L. et al., (2018) posited that there has
been several studies by several scholars that information is
currently seen as the fifth factor of production and is the
most essential of them because its serves a vital role to all
the other factors of production that includes entrepreneur.
We are currently drowning in a flood of information in our
modern society. Every time we log on to the internet or turn
on the television, we are bombarded with news,
perspectives, opinions, facts, and information. Weary and
bewildered in this never-ending repetitious environment, we
are bombarded with information 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. As a result, learning the art of sorting the wheat
from the chaff and leading productive lives that are
meaningful and deep is critical for professionals, students,
and anybody who wishes to focus and concentrate.
Knowing what is happening all around the world in real
time and uninterruptedly, for example, would cause mental
fatigue and exhaustion, which would drain productivity and
cause a lack of focus. It is not necessary to keep up with all
of the news and events on Twitter, Face book, blogs, and
television all of the time. Unless one develops the habit of
separating what one wants from what is available, one is
likely to experience information overload, which refers to
the massive amount of information that we are continually
assaulted with. Every dick and harry now have access to
upload and disseminate information thanks to technologies
such as the internet and the world wide web, especially in
this era of web 2.0 with sites like twitter, Instagram, Face
book, wikis, and blogs. Most of the uploaded information
are not censored before they get online or to the end user. In
a situation where there are series of things to choose from,
choice making under this circumstances becomes a
problem, so also is the issue of information overload. The
internet, especially with the inception of the World Wide
Web has paved way for the internet to be flooded with all
sorts of information that are not scrutinized. Therefore, this
subject matter called information overload will be looked
into critically in order to arrive at a better understanding of
this study.
II. THE CONCEPT OF INFORMATION
The saying by several persons all over the world that
“information is now the in thing”, “information rules the
world”, or we are in the “age of information” has become
every household statement due to the role that information
plays to humanity all over the world. Therefore, what then
is information? According to Madden A. D. (2000) citing
McCreadied and Rice (1999) the concept information was
succinctly defined in four perspectives which are,
1. Information as a Representation of Knowledge:
information was viewed as a reservoir of knowledge in
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man's early stages. Books were traditionally used as a
storage medium, but electronic media are becoming
increasingly significant.
2. Information as Data in the Environment: Information can
be derived from a variety of environmental stimuli and
phenomena, not all of which are meant to “send” a message,
but which can be instructive when understood correctly.
3. Information as part of the Communication Process:
People, not words or data, are the source of meaning. In the
processing and interpretation of information, timing and
social factors play a vital influence.
4. Information as a Resource or Commodity: Information is
sent from sender to receiver in the form of a message. The
communication is interpreted by the receiver in the same
way that it was intended by the sender. As information is
distributed or traded, there may be added value.
The researcher at this junction will put forward that the
concept information can be regarded as the end product of a
processed data from it raw form to a meaningful result that
can be understood by the receiver that happens to be the
recipient of the message sent by the sender. Every
information that is relay to anyone has a context that it
possess that aids the interpretation and they are as follows.
a. The sender context
b. Message context
c. Receiver context
a. The Sender Context: this is the context where the raw
data originates from. This is the conceiver of what is to be
transmitted to the receiver.
b. Message Context: this is the means by which the raw data
is transmitted from the sender to the receiver. It could be in
written, spoken, facial expression as the case may be.
c. Receiver Context: this is the context that is responsible
for receiving and the interpreting the data so far received in
order to make a meaningful result which will become the
information after it has been processed accurately. After
ascertaining the concept information, the next thing to
consider in this study is the concept overload.
What then is the meaning of “overload” as a concept?
The term overload is a compound word that comprises of
two different words that can stand alone when it comes to
usage in English Language. First of all, the term over will
be looked into simply means according to the Oxford
dictionary a state where something is more than what it
ought to be while load on the other hand is regarded as a
large amount of items that is pressing on something or
somebody. Therefore, the concept overload will be defined
as a state of putting so much weight on something or
somebody. To this end, the term “information overload”
according to Eppler & Mengis (2004) it is a state that occurs
when information flow exceeds information needs.
Similarly, in a study conducted by Sadiku M. N. O. et al.,
(2016) Information overload happens when there is too
much information and a finite ability to digest it, according
to the notion. At this juncture, the concept information
overload will be likened by the researcher to a man or
woman who has loaded himself or herself with several junks
which has made the individual to become obesity that he or
she can no longer move his or her body freely the way he or
she ought to. The requirement for documenting of new ideas
in today's society is necessitated by the need for competition
and the need to fulfill standards.
Since the dawn of time, people have been recording their
ideas, activities, and expressions in a variety of ways. The
body of knowledge created and acquired by humans began
to expand with the development of literacy and the
invention of new techniques of recording one's thoughts and
ideas.
III. BRIEF HISTORY OF INFORMATION
OVERLOAD
According to Interaction Design Foundation (n.d) Bertram
Gross, a political science professor at Hunter College,
popularized the term “information overload” in a 1964
paper. Organizational Management is a term used to
describe the process of leading and managing a group of
people.
However, Alvin Toffler, an American writer and futurist,
popularized term in his book “Future Shock” in 1970.
According to Gross, information overload is defined as
follows: “Information overload happens when a system's
processing capacity is exceeded by the amount of data it
receives. The cognitive processing capacity of decision-
makers is fairly limited. As a result, when there is an
abundance of information, decision quality is likely to
suffer.” According to the authorities mentioned in this brief
history, the concept of information overload has been
around for a very long time. It predates the expression, and
even in the 3rd (or possibly 4th) century BCE, the writer of
Ecclesiastes 12:12 complained that “there is no end to
making books.”
There have been complaints of knowledge overload
throughout history, particularly during the Renaissance and
the Industrial Revolution. However, the birth of the
information era, along with access to sophisticated and low-
cost automated data collecting, has provided us with more
information than at any other time in history. Managing
information in everyday life is no longer an issue that only
the wealthy encounter; it is a problem that affects almost
everyone.
Every day, we are bombarded with data from social media,
e-mail, websites, Smartphone apps, and other sources.
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IV. STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Overload of information has become everyday thing all over
the world since the explosion of information and
technology. With the growth and development in
technologies, it has opened the door way for the rapid flow
of information more than the way it used to be in the early
time therefore it pose as a problem to process them or take a
decision. Without a question, today's workplaces are
bombarded with massive amounts of data from ever-
increasing sources.
The problem is exacerbated by modern trends toward
globalization. The Internet, wireless communication
technology, television, and newspapers are the primary
sources of information overload. It shows up in the form of
a mountain of paperwork, a flood of emails, numerous
phone calls, and exposure to multiple sources of
information.
Overloading one's mind with information can lead to bad
judgment, losing track of things, and losing focus. This
document was written with the goal of identifying the
origins of information overload, symptoms of information
overload, and repercussions of information overload, as well
as providing realistic strategies to manage the flow of
information overload.
V. OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The objectives of the study is to
1. Determine the sources of information overload.
2. Ascertain the symptoms of overloaded information
3. Reveal the consequences of information overload
4. Recommends possible solutions to information
overload
VI. CAUSES OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD
There is not a given event that happens in life that does not
have a reason why it happens. No wonder there is a saying
that there is no smoke without fire so also is the case with
information overload. There is no way this can occur if
there are no factors responsible for it. Outlined below are
some of the reasons and factors why there is the existence of
information overload in our world today as it was rightly
given by HoqK M G (2014) citing Eppler and Menjis
(2002) in a research they conducted on the concept
information overload which are as follows.
1. The presence of information from several sources;
2. The availability of an excessive amount of data
3. The information management is challenging;
4. The information's insignificance or irrelevance;
5. The inability to comprehend the material due to a lack
of time.
Subsequently, of all, there are nearly as many causes of
information overload as there are bits of data at our
disposal. However, in this contemporary time, the following
are some of the most common causes of modern
information overload.
1. Massive amounts of new data are constantly being
created on a daily basis.
2. In many institutions and sectors, the pressure to create
and compete in information provision, particularly in
the academic setting, has resulted in a quantity over
quality effect.
3. The lack of complexity and the emergence of simplicity
in the creation, duplication, and sharing of information
on the internet.
4. The exponential growth of information delivery
channels such as radio, television, print media,
websites, e-mail, mobile telephony, RSS feeds, and so
on.
5. The growing amount of historical data that is available
to us
6. A lot of inconsistent, contradicting, and just plain
wrong information
7. There are no easy techniques for swiftly analyzing,
comparing, and assessing data sources.
8. There is no apparent structure in information groupings,
and there are few indicators as to how those groups are
related.
From the perspective of an organization, information
overload occurs when the quantity of input to that
organization goes beyond its handling ability. It may be
viewed as such when the flow of information exceeds what
can be efficiently managed. In other words, information
overload occurs when a person is confronted with a large
amount of data that exceeds their cognitive abilities.
Infobesity or information anxiety, are terms used to describe
information overload.
Also, Rajabzadeh, A. et al., (2011) in a study they
conducted, it was postulated that information overload is
caused in the following areas: as an individual, the
limitation of information processing capacity; lack of an
organizational skills; useless utilization of time; willingness
to do all the work without assistance.
VII. SYMPTOMS OF INFORMATION OVERLOAD
Information overload is likened to a man who has over feed
himself with so much food that he cannot breathe
conveniently and successfully, which is noticed by some
indices pointing to the fact that the person is over fed.
Similarly, is the case of information overload, when this
situation occurs, there are indices or symptoms that show
that there is the presence of information overload. Giving
below are some of the indices or symptoms showing the
presence of information overload. An American
psychologist Stanley Milgram (1970) posited some overload
warnings for persons living in huge cities, in particular. He
identified six common reactions to constant exposure to a
significant information overload in that study, which are as
follows.
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Information Overload: Causes, Symptoms, Consequences and Solutions

1. Each input is given less time.
2. Low-priority inputs are ignored.
3. Redrawing of boundaries in specific social transactions
in order to shift the responsibility of overload to the
other person in the transaction.
4. The use of filtering devices to reduce inputs.
5. The reluctance to receive communication.
6. The establishment of specialized institutions to absorb
information that would otherwise overwhelm a single
person.
Additionally, Rajabzadeh, A. et al., (2011) stated definitely
that information overload is manifested by the symptoms
described below.
1. Lack of concentration due to a short-term memory
overload.
2. Hurriedness is a mental condition in which a person
believes they must race against the clock.
3. Multilateral behavior, which is typically the outcome of
either too much or too little production power.
4. Anger is quickly irritated due to a bad mood,
sensitivity, or being easily irritated.
5. Too much motivation or familiarity causes the brain to
malfunction or cease working.
All these are signs indicating the presence of information
overload and must be considered due to the fact that
information overload is detrimental to mankind if not
properly controlled or handled this bring us to the next
aspect of this study which has to do with the ramifications
of information overload
VIII. CONSEQUENCES OF EXCESSIVE
INFORMATION
The presence of information overload has a lot of dangers
that it place upon humanity and it usually cause fatigue to
the bearer of the weight that the excesses of these
information imposes.
Elson (2015) identified a number of consequences of
information overload as it is stated rightly below.
1. When a huge amount of information is available, one
tends to know less since the quantum of what is known
is trivial in comparison to the available information.
2. Excessive information can cause brain freeze or
exhaustion.
3. The existence of information overload leads to
addiction in the sense that the individual becomes
overly reliant on sources such as the internet, resulting
in a loss in productivity in the workplace, which is
damaging to the organization's growth and
development.
4. Mental ability is impaired in this situation since almost
all information needed by a user to make a decision is
available in vast quantities from a variety of sources.
5. The vast amount of information available, particularly
unfiltered information causes information to become
tainted, resulting in poor decision-making.
6. This instills in the individual the habit of dwelling on
the past and the immediate future while neglecting the
present.
From the foregoing, you will discover that the presence of
information overload is detrimental in the sense that the
person in question will be overwhelmed with myriad of
information resources from which decision making will be
difficult and the person in question who is overwhelmed
with information overload finds it very difficult to utilize his
or her medulla oblongata to initiate ideas in proffering
solution to a given problem in an organization due to the
fact he or she feels that the internet has readily available
resources at his beck and call thereby breed in laziness.
As a result of the preceding, you will see that this notion has
a significant impact on the library profession, as libraries
and information centers are already striving to satisfy the
need to serve an expanding number of readers within
limited resources. Budget, are also being harmed by
information overload, because they are obliged to review a
large number of information materials every day in order to
pick the best resources - putting additional strain on their
time and efforts.
The act of identifying and indexing these growing numbers
of information resources, on the other hand, poses a new
challenge. Many people seek advice from librarians on
whether or not to use a particular piece of information or
information source. Due to the inflow of information from
numerous sources, library staff is finding it difficult to
respond appropriately to the questions posed by users.
Furthermore, correctly organizing all of this data is a
difficult task. Information overload could easily overwhelm
professionals who lack proper information management and
bibliographic control skills.
Adding to Hjorland's observations, Kadiri (2012) asserts
that libraries are particularly vulnerable to the consequences
of information overload due to an explosion of
“publications” or “papers” defined by more pages of
professional journals and books, which are expanding
exponentially. He believes that the ‘publish or perish'
mentality among academics and researchers is largely to
blame for information overload. Indeed, many today's
academics appear to be in a battle to “outwrite” and
“outpublish” colleagues and other academics in order to
establish their own dominance - resulting in the release of
an increasing number of books, essays, reports, and blogs.
Furthermore, many articles, particularly in science and
technology, quickly lose their relevance due to their
ephemeral character, becoming a burden on an already
bloated and unmanageable library collection. All of these
factors are exacerbating the problem of information
overload.
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IX. REMEDY/SOLUTION TO INFORMATION
OVERLOAD
There is no existing problem that does not have solution no
matter how that problem might seem in the eyes of the
beholder; there is definitely a way out. At this point, the
researcher's goal is to come up with some practical solutions
or remedies that can help to alleviate the problem of
information overload, either for those who provide the
information (Librarians, Information Scientists, etc.) or for
those who are on the receiving end (information seekers,
Library users)etc. Individuals and organizations are looking
for solutions to this multi-dimensional dilemma as the
intensity of information overload grows. Libraries and
information specialists are at the forefront of these
initiatives since they are the ones who have to bear the brunt
of the problem as information managers. Every day, new
information is added to the current body of knowledge,
making it increasingly difficult for individual information
seekers and information professionals to identify, locate,
and retrieve information.
According to IDC's groundbreaking study on information
professionals, many information workers are involved in
time-consuming and wasteful tasks that can squander up to
20 hours per week per worker. Reformatting from multiple
formats to a single document format; searching for but not
finding information; recreating content; publishing the same
content to different audiences using different applications;
moving documents from one format to another; and
acquiring archived records with little or no automation are
all examples of these tasks.
Feldman (2005) asserted that if information workers'
information management abilities were improved, they
would be able to complete more work in less time and better
meet users' information needs. Some experts stated that in
order for information users and information professionals to
effectively tackle the issue of information overload, they
must ensure that they are well-versed in information literacy
expertise. (ALA 1989) is a group of librarians who outlined
some necessary factors that must be taken into cognizance
which are as follows.
1. An information literate person should be able to assess
the amount of data required.
2. Ensure that they have effective and efficient access to
the information they require.
3. Ability to critically assess information and its sources
4. Should make an effort to assimilate certain facts into
one's knowledge base
5. Should be able to properly use knowledge to achieve a
certain goal
6. Should be aware of the economic, legal, and social
implications of information use, and should be able to
acquire and use data in an ethical and lawful manner.
In a study he conducted, Kazi Mostak Gausul Hoq (2014)
believes that if a person can develop at least a moderate
degree of information literacy, he or she will be able to
access relevant information from a variety of sources and
use it intelligently for problem solving. This is admittedly
not a simple undertaking, and even the most seasoned
information hunters may be overwhelmed by the vast
amount of data available. However, as one's information
literacy abilities are developed, upgraded, and refined, it
will become simpler to deal with information overload in
the long run.
Simpson and Prusak (1995) also emphasized that the
information provided by information professionals should
be of high value and delivered in the most convenient style
and format possible to fight information overload.
Another important issue in this era of information
communication technology boom, which has resulted in the
emergence of information overload, is the requirement for
information professionals and users to develop web
searching abilities. Because searching skills are a necessity
for dealing with information overload, any user who is
familiar with them is more likely to get more relevant
information from the web than someone who is not.
Information overload can also be addressed, according to
Bawden and Robinson (2008), if the following approaches
are properly followed.
1. Organize your time,
2. Management of the desk
3. Analytical thinking
4. Presentation of information
5. Improved information organization (including effective
metadata use), and
6. Cultivation of a reasonable approach to personal data
management.
Traditional tools will go a long way if they are properly
arranged, utilized, and applied. Catalogues, indexes,
bibliographies, and other tools, when utilized wisely, can
assist an information seeker in swiftly locating and
retrieving the information he or she requires. More
educational and skills-development programs in this area, as
well as the improvement of library instruction, user
orientation, and reference services, could help twenty-first-
century information consumers successfully deal with
information overload.
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