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 us and surpasses us. We receive a lot of information, but it is not always of quality nor do we get to delve into it.
In this article, Mensalus Psychological and Psychiatric Assistance Institute tells us about an interesting topic: the management of excess information.
Information Overdose
Can excess information exhaust you psychologically?
Excess information of any kind can generate stress and have consequences at a functional level. Especially, with the arrival of new technologies, making a “click” offers the possibility of being in permanent connection with the 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 a second something begins and something ends. The big question is: how far do we want to be informed?
And how far do we inform ourselves? Being hyperconnected, yes, it can exhaust us psychologically. Furthermore, the feeling of accumulating more and more messages to respond to, more links to consult, more conversations to participate in, can generate a feeling of authentic mental saturation.
¿ What else has the “click” changed?
“The click revolution” as some call it, without realizing it, has changed our way of relating and seeing the world. We live in a different reality, we have much more instant information (the latest in fleeting: 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 informing ourselves about what we need. In the West there is an arch-repeated 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, do we really need that much information?
The need is created and disappears, our society does it constantly. What may seem important to us at one moment, then ceases to be so. Paying attention 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 more information even if we cannot always retain and digest it. Perhaps, there lies the limit: when the amount of information generates a high level of stress that even prevents me from concentrating on aspects of my daily life, relaxing my mind, being present and enjoying the here and now…
Am I absorbing too much information? Answered this question:
We actually have the power to decide what information we want and what we don’t.
What exactly is infoxication?
Infoxication is a term that refers to excess information and is related to being constantly activated. This reality can generate an inability to stop and delve deeper (as the saying goes: “he who covers a lot, does not press much”).
There is an interesting concept to define the functioning of the infoxicated person: the “working interruptus”, that is, that individual who opens many topics but most of them remain halfway. In the end, “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 could we say that a person is infoxicated?
When you feel that you cannot handle all the information that you think you 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 readings) and/or read without understanding. In these cases, comments such as “I no longer remember what I read” are representative of lack of attention while reading. In fact, many times the person has read completely distracted without the intention of going deeper into its content, solely with the purpose of “crossing out” the information as “attended.” This happens especially with email management (infoxicated individuals often have their inbox full of pending “envelopes”).
How can we do good information management?
For example, looking at quality instead of quantity. As we said, being connected to a multitude of sources all day can confuse and generate distress.
Likewise, getting in touch with the needs of each moment helps us decide what priority we give to information. What is useful to us in a moment of life (for example: “I enjoy being on different social networks and participating in different groups and forums”) may change (“I have been especially busy at work for a few weeks and it is an effort for me to participate with the same frequency”).
People function through habits, but this does not mean that we cannot question their meaning and consider a change. Automatisms sometimes make it difficult for us to “let go” and set limits on what we no longer wish to encompass. 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 one way to curb the impulse to absorb more information.
Recovering the “here and now”
It’s funny 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 many techniques and exercises aimed at being physically and mentally present in the “here and now” through the detection of 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 we pay attention to what is happening around us without being forced 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 more free and permissive people with ourselves and others…
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PsychologyFor. (2024). Infoxication: How to Combat Excess Information. https://psychologyfor.com/infoxication-how-to-combat-excess-information/