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Information Overload |
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Strategies for Coping with Information Overload Filtering strategy Instead of trying to sort the wheat from the chaff yourself, you use ‘filters’ to keep your information up-to-date. Filtering is not about manageing the sources of information, but it is about the control of the incoming information for information users. Google Filter is a good example of filters. There is simply too much information around for individual information seekers to sort themselves. Indeed Clay Shirky has stated that information overload is not the problem, the real problem is 'filter failure'. Check out the below video of his presentation "It's Not Information Overloard. It's Filter Failure (OreillyMedia, 2008)." It was presented at the 2008 Web 2.0 Expo in New York. Free feel to check out the official website of the presentation files of that Expo. In his presentation, Clay mentioned that privacy is a way of managing information overload. The way we face our privacy in social network is challenged by the fact that "we are not moving from one engineered system to another engineered system with different characteristics. Instead we’re moving from an evolved system to an engineered system" (OreillyMedia, 2008). Clay also mentioned that spams is a typical representation of information overload. Filters are recommended to set up, either automatically or manually. There are different kinds of solutions for different people. Besides, spam filters need constant retuning. There is never a filter setting that works for users all the time. Withdrawal strategy Withdrawal strategy is another major strategy of coping with information overload. People oftentimes use this approach to protect themselves from the bombardment of excessive information to gain their peace in mind. Motives behind the strategy are highly personal (Savolainen, 2007). For example, I have chosen not to watch television, because I have found the quality of the television programs has descreased; also a lot of the programs now include extra long advertisements which drive me tired all the time. The most meaningful program to me is daily news which I can also retrieve from news websites. I have combined the two sources information to lower the information flow I have. Withdrawal strategy has become a practical necessity since almost all individual information seeker is not able to absorb all the information sources that flow in daily (Savolainen, 2007). Conclusion Since filtering and withdrawal strategies stand for ideal typical approaches of dealing with information overload, they appear in varied forms in reality. Information seekers have their own cognitive factors to help themselves cope with information overload. The two strategies mentioned here complement with each other, and information seekers usually employ a mixed strategy to cope with information overload (Savolainen, 2007).
Information
Overload
A website designed by Qinqin Zhang
for LIBR 500: Foundations of Information Technology. Last updated: November 15,
2009
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