|
|
|
The Information Explosion
|
|
Everyday we are bombarded with reams of information in
all forms. In the morning we pick up the
paper; we watch the news; we listen to the radio. As we step out of the
house the assault continues.
There are advertisements on billboards, and on the bus. At the
workplace there are mass e-mails,
papers, work orders. There are books to read, forms to fill out, and
there is the web to surf. We
are faced with the challenge of digesting it all… processing and making
some sense of it. It’s
overwhelming… it’s mind-boggling… it’s INFORMATION OVERLOAD.
|
|
| A
study conducted by the University of California at Berkeley
differentiates between information that flows and that which is
stored. Flowing information is that which is transmitted over the
airwaves, on the internet, and on through the telephone. Stored
information is that which is printed, on paper, film and other physical
media. The study estimates that almost 800 Megabytes of stored
information are produced per person, per year. (Lyman
and Varian 2003). |
|
|
|
|
|
So,
even in recent years, the production of information has increased to
the extent that we are now seen to be in the midst of an information
explosion. This explosion has implications to the environment in
which we live, to the workplace, the academic world, and our own peace
of mind. Most research agrees that, as a result of this explosion of
information, we
are experiencing a state called “information overload.” |
|
|
|
|
|
