Infoxication: how to combat information overload

We live immersed in a sea of stimuli, information and half-truths.

Infoxication is a phenomenon that arises from the inclusion of new technologies in our daily lives, in which the amount of information we receive saturates and overwhelms us.The amount of information we receive saturates and overwhelms us. We receive a lot of information, but it is not always of good quality and we do not always get to know it in depth.

In this article, Instituto de Asistencia Psicológica y Psiquiátrica Mensalus talks about an interesting topic: the management of information overload.

Information overdose

Can information overload be psychologically exhausting?

The excess of information of any kind can generate stress and have consequences at a functional level, especially with the advent of new technologies, making a "click" offers the possibility of being in permanent connection with information.

The immediacy with which we access any type of source opens the doors to an infinite dimension. Each movement leads to a different virtual space, there is always a possibility to explore. The world is constantly changing. In one second something begins and something ends. The big question is: how informed do we want to be?

And how informed are we? Being hyperconnected, yes, can exhaust us psychologically. In addition, the feeling of accumulating more and more messages to answer, more links to consult, more conversations to participate in, can generate a feeling of real mental saturation.

¿What else has the "click" changed?

The "click revolution", as some call it, has unwittingly changed the way we relate to each other and the way we see the world. We live in a different reality, we have much more instant information (the latest in transience: Smartwatches) and, therefore, it is important to learn how to manage it.

This is neither good nor bad, it is different. When we talk about good management we highlight the difference between being informed and being informed about what we need. In the West, there is an old belief that can be extrapolated to different areas: "the more the better". In the case of information (as in many others) we could discuss it at length.

Why do we live hooked on new technologies?

So, in reality, do we really need so much information?

The need is created and disappears, our society does it constantly. What at one moment may seem important to us, then ceases to be so. Attending to the needs of the moment and establishing an order of priorities is already a way of sifting and managing the messages that reach us.

By nature, we always want to get more information even if we cannot always retain and digest it. Perhaps, therein lies the limit: when the amount of information generates a high level of stress that prevents me from even concentrating on aspects of my daily life, relaxing my mind, being present and enjoying the here and now .....

Am I absorbing too much information? That question answered:

• Do I need to deal with such an amount of messages?
• Can I say no?
• Do I want to?

We actually have the power to decide what information we want and what we don't want.

What exactly is infoxication?

Infoxication is a term that refers to the excess of information and is related to the fact of being in permanent activation. This reality can generate an inability to stop and go deeper (as the saying goes: "he who grasps too much, grasps too little").

There is an interesting concept to define the functioning of the infoxicated person: the "working interruptus", that is to say, the individual who opens many topics but most of them are left half-finished. In the end, the "touching so many keys" is what generates a high level of stress due to the impossibility of responding to all of them.

Symptoms and problems

In summary, when can we say that a person is infoxicated?

When he/she feels that he/she cannot handle all the information he/she thinks he/she should and this generates anxiety and other psychological and physical consequences such as lack of concentration, discouragement, apathy, Muscle tension and fatigue.

A common attitude in the infoxicated person is the inability to read a text slowly (the famous diagonal reading) and/or to read without understanding. In these cases, comments such as "I can no longer remember what I have read" are representative of the lack of attention during reading. In fact, many times the person has made a totally distracted reading with no intention of delving into its content, only with the purpose of "crossing out" the information as "attended". This happens especially with the management of e-mails (infoxicated individuals usually have an inbox full of pending "envelopes").

How can we manage information well?

For example, by focusing on quality rather than quantity. As we said, being connected to a multitude of sources all day long can confuse and generate distress.

Likewise, getting in touch with the needs of each moment helps us to decide what priority we give to information. What we find useful at one point in our lives (for example: "I enjoy being on different social networks and participating in different groups and forums") may change ("I have been particularly busy at work for a few weeks and it is an effort for me to participate as often as I do").

People function by habits, but this does not mean that we cannot question their meaning and consider changing them. Automatisms sometimes make it difficult for us to "let go" and set limits to what we no longer wish to embrace. On the other hand, our mood also tells us when we need a change. Being attentive to how we feel and the meaning behind the emotion is a way to curb the impulse to absorb more information.

Reclaiming the "here and now

It is curious how, many times, we are not aware of the amount of information we manage daily, the impact it has on us (how it makes us feel) and, most importantly, whether or not we want to take it. What tools can we train to be more aware of our needs and our emotional world?

There are a multitude of techniques and exercises aimed at being physically and mentally present in the "here and now" by detecting thoughts and emotions.

To connect with our needs, first of all, we have to learn to stop and feel the present moment. A good exercise is to enjoy deep breathing while noticing what is happening around us without being compelled to respond.

It is revealing when we are especially accelerated and experience the sensation that the state of contemplation, at times, generates in us. Understanding that we can slow down makes us freer and more permissive towards ourselves and others...