The Discussion Concerning the Problem of Information Overload - Research Paper Example

? Information Overload The discussion concerning the problem of information overload takes places on a daily basis in newspapers, the internet, magazines, on the radio and talk shows (Miller, 2009). This problem is experienced by those people who have the luck of having jobs, technology, and communication access (Miller, 2009). Although these lucky people might perceive themselves as being fortunate when they consider that half of the world's population has never tried a telephone call, they feel decidedly unfortunate when thinking that the daily stream of information is threatening to overwhelm them (Miller, 2009). On a day to day basis, the info-rich obtain information from the internet, newspapers, emails, television, faxes and telephone calls. In the midst of all the clatter, the info-rich are conscious that essential and valuable information is being conveyed (Miller, 2009). The challenge now lies in separating the unnecessary, uninteresting, and outdated information from the up-to-date, relevant, and vital (Miller, 2009). This is achievable by any organization if it changes its technical system or its social system or even both (Klingberg, 2008). Initially, when network technologies were introduced, their aim was to bring considerable improvements to the productivity of workers; however, these productivity benefits are yet to materialize (Klingberg, 2008). As a result, empirical scrutiny of the data has failed so far in establishing a considerably positive relation between information technologies and productivity growth (Klingberg, 2008). Moreover, some people have even begun to wonder if the introduction of computers and other kinds of information technology has had a negative impact on productivity levels, since companies waste resources to generate, distribute, process and store paperwork, which, though adds up no value to the business, deflects people's attention afar from productive work (Klingberg, 2008). Whereas it is possible to explain the productivity paradox in various ways, constituents of the information overload may be additional factors (Klingberg, 2008). There were expectations for network technologies such as the World Wide Web and e-mail to give decision-makers easy accessibility to more of the information they require for making better decisions faster (Klingberg, 2008). Indeed, a wealth of precious information has been made accessible; the remaining problem is to learn to manage that flood of information. Considering current technological and human constrictions, decision-makers are incapable of processing all the information which they receive (Klingberg, 2008). A number of managers complain that important issues are neglected due to the growing heaps of information which they have to review (Klingberg, 2008). Additionally, many companies are downsizing the assumption that computers are capable of effectively replacing people (Klingberg, 2008). However, information technologies happen to be best used as supplements; they cannot alternate human skills as far as processing complicated information flows is concerned (Klingberg, 2008). When it comes to business models, content providers focus on selling information straight to consumers (Grochow, 1997). However, there some instances when attention, and not information, is scarce (Grochow, 1997). Businesses should contend for people's time; therefore, various successful business models of the future will have their basis in the economics of attention, which implies focusing on bringing out quality information to the people in a context that is meaningful (Grochow, 1997). Information production will still get motivation from profit incentives, with competition among substitutable information sources reducing the prices of the content of information itself (Grochow, 1997). Rather than expecting direct payment for the creation of information, it is crucial for content providers to run their business as though it were gratis, and then figure out how to enhance relationships or come up with ancillary products and services which will cover the costs of content development (Grochow, 1997). Apparently, consumers are already engulfed by the overload of information present in the internet; whereas there is the existence of valuable content, in most cases consumers lack the time to look for it (Grochow, 1997). In order to obtain content suitable to their individual benefits, consumers will have to purchase filtering services, hire search experts or subscribe to rating services (Grochow, 1997). Additionally, consumers who value the free content given by certain authors are willing to pay so as to extend that relationship, for instance, through purchasing other consulting services or through paying to go to a live performance (Grochow, 1997). Therefore, although content happens to be free, there will still be abundant opportunity for content providers to benefit by selling expertise (Grochow, 1997). One of the main elements of information is structure, an outstanding example being a phone book; imagine the phone company making a decision to publish everyone's names and phone numbers in indiscriminate order (Pijpers, 2010). Although all the required data would be accessible, it would be utterly futile (Pijpers, 2010). The real service which the phone company offers with the phone book is the data in logical structure, which is alphabetical order, in visual structure, which is a multi-column format, and in physical structure, which is a bound volume. Apparently, the value is not completely in the data as such; rather, it is in the structure, which converts data to information. The majority of solutions to the information overloading necessitate some infusion of structure (Pijpers, 2010). In responding to the expansion of accessible information, technologies pushing information are gaining popularity since they act as intelligent secretaries – they gather, filter, and organize information in order that it can be applied easily and effectively (Pijpers, 2010). Similarly, news services which customize content tend to be proliferating (Pijpers, 2010). These efforts of predigesting or selectively gathering information take various forms such as intelligent agents, metadata standards, artificial intelligence systems, on-line news, automatic filtering agents and personalized broadcast networks (Pijpers, 2010). One of the most overlooked solutions of reducing information overload is human intervention both as organizations or individuals (Pijpers, 2010). When struggling in using technology to manage technologically-spawned information overload, the majority of people miss the fact that the most profoundly intelligent agent is a person. Most of the organizations are responding through the creation of policies which reintroduce human agents (Konstant & Taylor, 2009). For instance, some companies are resurrecting what was formerly known as the position of secretary; presently, they refer to them as “mission control” while limiting them to top executives (Pijpers, 2010). Therefore, such a “mission control” sieves through an executive's messages, erasing extraneous or outdated messages, composing messages pertaining to distinct topics and converting information from one medium to the next (Konstant & Taylor, 2009). It is essential for organizations to come up with coping strategies, which, when chosen properly, will substantially lessen or eradicate information overload for both individuals and organizations (Konstant & Taylor, 2009). Some people have the perception that future technology tends to resolve the entire information overload crisis (Konstant & Taylor, 2009). They mistakenly put their trust in technology’s power. Although the rising power of technology added up some relief, a number of futurists envisage that by the year 2020 information will double every 70 days (Konstant & Taylor, 2009). The effect of this information explosion in an organization is not only pervasive but also frightening; therefore, unless something is done quickly to address it, it is likely to worsen. However, although information and information technology are obviously incapable of solving all society’s problems, the society and social resources are capable of solving the majority of problems of information and information technology (Spira, 2011). When solving problems of information overload, the organization should consider both proactive and reactive strategies (Spira, 2011). Proactive strategies are those measures that make an attempt of preventing information from overloading; reactive strategies begin to be implemented the moment information overload occurs (Spira, 2011). Apparently, it is impossible for the causes of information overload to disappear by themselves; rather, to address them, thoughtful solutions are needed (Spira, 2011). Therefore, awareness of the causes and comprehension of the symptoms call for the generation of useful and practical resolutions to the crisis of information overload (Spira, 2011). Ironically, the solution to the problem of information overload happens to be additional information; however, before making the decision of acting, the existence of the problem must be acknowledged (Grochow, 1997). It is essential for an organization to understand the intensity of the problem, including its symptoms and causes (Grochow, 1997). Equipped with this awareness, one has a chance to implement appropriate solutions (Grochow, 1997). References Grochow, J. M. (1997). Information overload: creating value with the new information systems technology. Michigan: Yourdon Press. Klingberg, T. (2008). The Overflowing brain: Information overload and the limits of working memory. Stockholm: Oxford University Press. Miller, K. A. (2009). Surviving information overload. Chicago: Zondervan. Pijpers, G. (2010). Information overload: A system for better managing everyday data. Ohio: John Wiley & Sons. Spira, J. B. (2011). Overload! How too much information is hazardous to your organization. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Konstant, Tina, & Taylor, Morris. (2009). Overcoming information overload. California: Hodder & Stoughton. Read More