Infomania
Infomania is the debilitating state of information overload, caused by the combination of a backlog of information to process (usually in e-mail), and continuous interruptions from technologies like phones, instant messaging, and e-mail.[1] It is also defined as an obsessive need to constantly check social media, online news, and emails to acquire knowledge.[2] This may be related to a fear of missing out (FOMO).
Origin of the term
[edit | edit source]To date, the term infomania is not used to refer to any recognized psychological disorder. Infomania is not generally recognized as causing significant impairment.[citation needed]
The term was coined by Elizabeth M. Ferrarini, the author of Confessions of an Infomaniac (1984) and Infomania: The Guide to Essential Electronic Services (1985). Confessions was an early book about life online. It was excerpted in Cosmopolitan in 1982.
Effects
[edit | edit source]In 2005, Dr. Glenn Wilson conducted an experimental study which described effects of information overload on problem solving ability.[3] The 80 volunteers carried out problem solving tasks in a quiet space and then while being bombarded with new emails and phone calls that they could not answer.[3] Results showed a reduction in IQ by an average of 10 points during the bombardment session, but not everyone was affected to the same extent; men were distracted more than women.[3] In 2010, Dr. Glenn Wilson published a clarifying note about the study[4] in which he documented the limited size of the study and stated the results were "widely misrepresented in the media".[4]
Wilson compares working while having an incoming of calls and email can reduce someone’s ability to focus as much as losing a night’s sleep.[3] Not only can it affect one’s ability to function below their full potential at a job or in class, but it has been found that it can become addicting using technology as well.[3] For example, how often have you found yourself on your phone checking work emails during a lunch with family on the weekend? This is just one of many examples of the addiction effect of infomania.
There have not been any long-term studies on the effects of infomania.[5] However, Gloria Mark at UC Irvine conducted a study on the short-term effects of Fear of Missing Out, which involves compulsively checking in on the experiences of others via social media,[6] and found that it took an average of 23 minutes to return to an original task after an interruption.[7] She concluded that interruptions result in "more stress, higher frustration, time pressure and effort".[7]
See also
[edit | edit source]References
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- ^ a b Clarifying note by Dr. Glenn Wilson on the "Infomania" Study
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External links
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