Have you ever experienced one of the following scenarios:
- You were constantly disrupted by incoming emails, SMS, and phone calls and could not focus on the tasks at hand.
- You were revising for tomorrow’s exam. You looked at all the 36 required readings (excluding textbook chapters) and wonder: “Why are there so many readings for one module?”
- You went shopping but there were too many choices for the same type of product. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses. You really didn’t know how to choose.
Most people have experienced at least one of the above scenarios. This is a common problem that people in the 21st century are facing: Information Overload (IO). In the book Overload!: How too much information is hazardous to your organization, Jonathan Spira maps out the causes and effects of IO and shows how much resources are wasted due to IO:
- Information Overload costs the U. S. economy almost $1 trillion in 2010.
- A minimum of 28 billion hours is lost each year to Information Overload in the U. S.
- 66% of knowledge workers feel they don’t have enough time to get all of their work done.
Spira traces the development of information and information tools since ancient time. By knowing how huge amounts of information are created by various tools (e.g., paper, computer, email, mobile phone), we can understand how our daily lives contribute to IO. For example, the need for convenience causes the invention of email. However, since sending emails is so easy and convenient, many people are guilty of sending emails to tell “the whole world” what they have done.
This book only provides the origins and effects of IO, but it does not provide a concrete solution on how to resolve IO from a corporate level. Spira provides several tips on educating readers to be more responsible on information generated, and be wise on processing incoming information. There is, however, one proposed solution that I like very much:
“Knowledge workers need to become more familiar with content sources…and may also need training, perhaps from a…LIBRARIAN or researcher, in how to choose sources and corroborate findings.” (p. 105).
Wong Wai Kit
Hon Sui Sen Memorial Library
