Throughout our lives, we have been exposed to the constant advancement in technology. One form of technology that is constantly being manipulated to better suit today’s society is the internet. The internet created in the 1960’s in scientific and military fields. It was known as ARPANET, which means Advanced Research Projects Agency. The internet was created for many reasons but mainly so that a large amount of information could be accessed by millions of people. An interesting article online states, “The Internet is at once a world-wide broadcasting capability, a mechanism for information dissemination, and a medium for collaboration and interaction between individuals and their computers without regard for geographic location.” ( Leiner & Cerf, 2010). This statement explains how the internet is used worldwide, and it is a place for interaction between human beings. The internet contains information beyond belief, and in today’s society, it is only getting more overloaded. Throughout this paper I would like to discuss information overload and how we can avoid it when we are trying to find reliable information on the internet.
First, I would like to inform you on the origination of information overload. Alvin Toffler made the term popular by saying, “information overload refers to the difficulty a person can have understanding an issue and making decisions that can be caused by too much information” (Black 2003). When too much information is presented to us, it can make it nearly impossible to find accurate search results. In the 1950’s information overload was related to the term “sensory overload,” which was believed to cause a lack of responsiveness within individuals. Information overload relates because it has the same effects, but its cognitive functions are more severe. Toffler also said, “When the individual is plunged into a fast and irregularly changing situation or novelty-loaded context…his predictive accuracy plummets. He can also no longer make the reasonably correct assessments on which rational behavior is dependent.” Toffler perfectly explains the dysfunction that goes on within the individual in this statement. When we are presented with an unreasonable amount of information, our ability to find valuable and true information goes out the window. We can’t make correct evaluations on whether the information is reliable and usable. What causes this to happen?
Since the internet was developed and introduced, we have been constantly exposed to a ridiculous amount of information. This is how the issue of information overload has bloomed recently. It is caused by the incredibly fast rate at which information is being produced and put onto the internet. Along with that, it is very easy to make your information internet accessible. Mainly, information overload occurs because there is an excessive amount of information being put into the stream daily, but the internet doesn’t have a filter as to what information can be allowed or not. There is nothing that can stop you from putting anything you want onto the internet. Elizabeth E. Kirk of John Hopkins University explains, “When you are using the World Wide Web, none of this applies. There are no filters. Because anyone can write a Web page, documents of the widest range of quality, written by authors of the widest range of authority, are available on an even playing field (1996). This causes a problem when we are trying to find accurate information. In 1997, the problem of information overload was identified in an influential report from the British MCA. The report concluded that “information overload is not simply the problem of too much information. It is the problem of too much irrelevant information caused by the heavy reliance on one medium (the Internet) to distribute information.” This explains how we don’t have a method to distinguish what information is allowed to be on the internet. According to Infogineering.com, “The result is either that you either delay making decisions, or that you make the wrong decisions.” (Ingebrigsten, 2007-2010). This relates to Toffler’s theory about information overload and how it can be very hard for an individual to make rational decisions when it comes down to finding the information that we want. The amount of information that is being put out onto the web daily is going to cause some problems. Along with not having a filter to alleviating irrelevant information, according the Infogineering.com, another cause of information overload is “the widespread access to the Web.” In today’s society, we can access the web through not only computers but through our phones. Since we use the internet excessively, phone companies have developed phones to the point where you can click on an icon and it logs you immediately onto the internet. We can access the internet every day, and this fuels the issue of information overload because we are able to view large quantities of information when we don’t really want to.
Furthermore, this leads into what society has called the “Computer Age.” Basically it is an age in which we are able to find information much easier. In earlier years a lot of information would have been difficult to find. Now, we can go to Google.com and type in a search to find not only one but a million websites relating to your topic. Throughout the years we have shifted from the Industrial Age to an age that relies on technology. Convergence is all around us. Advertising through newspapers has drastically declined, and most of us go online to find our news. Instead of using books, newspapers, journals, and the news, we are resulting to the World Wide Web to find our answers. In Marshall Pease’s article “The Computer Age,” he states, “We have heard much about the world’s entrance into the computer age. The computer and the web have certainly had a profound impact on our society – and on most of the rest of the world as well. It seems clear the trend will continue in ways that will, no doubt, continue to surprise us ( Pease, 1999). Considering that this was stated a few years ago, we can see that what he said is true. The trend will continue and even though we are faced with these issues today, we will still find ways to invent new technologies so that information can become even more accessible than it already is. The reason that the Computer Age relates to information overload is the fact that we are experiencing information overload because we are looking only to the internet to find what we are looking for. Granted, I’m not saying every person does this, but a majority of us do and personally, I am at fault also. Trying to find valuable information is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and this is due to the constant need for a higher technology and the amount of information that is being put out there for everyone to see. Unfortunately, like Pease said, “the trend will continue in ways that will, no doubt, continue to surprise us (1999). The next point I want to discuss is where do we find information?
On the internet, there are a multitude of search engines that are being used 24 hours of the day 7 days a week. There are said to be over one billion websites on the World Wide Web. How did this happen? It’s because that is where everyone has gone to find their information. This is an issue because if you are trying to find specific information on a topic, then it is going to be difficult to filter through millions of search results. This can lead to frustration and exhaustion while searching on the web. Along with Google.com, other popular search engines are Bing.com, AOL Search, Ask.com, Yahoo, and Lycos. Previously listed are the top search engines that we use on the internet. Thinking about search engines, we go to them mostly to “search” for information that we need, but how are we capable of searching through thousands and millions of websites to find information. We don’t know if it is from a reliable source considering the fact that anyone can put any form of information on the web. When using an academic library, you can trust the sources and information because the books and journals have been evaluated by professionals. When using the world wide web, this isn’t the case, we can’t trust everything that we read; therefore, if we are continuously reading through articles online, but they are from an individual’s point of view rather than scholarly work then it can be very frustrating and time consuming. Furthermore, when online it can become a hassle due to the fact that the search engines we use provide us with countless websites that may or may not have been evaluated by a professional. Yes, the internet can be a good research tool, but sometimes it can be misleading, time-consuming, and frustrating. Once again we have to remember that the internet is not monitored or checked. In A.B. Credaro’s article “Now We‘ve Got the Internet, Do We Still Need Libaries? “He explains that there are over 4 billion unique, publicly accessible websites but only 6% of websites have educational information (2001-2002). With that, I would like to discuss some online tips to avoid information overload on the internet.
The World Wide Web, as we have discussed, offers a large amount of information. Information overload is an issue that has resulted from the amount of information, but there are ways to easily navigate and access information that you are looking for. Elizabeth E. Kirk of John Hopkins University wrote the article “Evaluating Information on the Internet,” which is a useful and scholarly article that informs you of the evaluation skills to help navigate the internet/ search engines. First, Kirk states that “Authorship” is foremost important. Basically, authorship consists of the author who wrote it. It is important to try to find an author that is recognizable, but if not, then see if the article gives biographical information on the author and the article. If none of these are available, then try to find a professional background (Kirk, 1996). Secondly, the publishing body will help you understand what a professional document is. Look for headers and footers but mainly look for organization. Along with that, look if the name of the organization is listed somewhere on the web page, and lastly, ask yourself if the document relates to your topic that you are searching for (Kirk, 1996). Thirdly, check the article for point of view or bias. Usually, articles and web pages will consist of an author’s Point of View, and that author might not be a professional. It basically will state what they think and will try to convince you to think the same. First thing is to look at the URL of the document, and find out if it belongs to an organization. Remember that some sites may look educational, but to pay close attention to the organization that is affiliated with it, and the author’s point of view or bias towards their personal thoughts (Kirk, 1996). Along with that, Kirk recommends to check for accuracy and verifiability details. Kirk states, “It is an important part of the evaluation process, especially when you are reading the work of an unfamiliar author presented by an unfamiliar organization, or presented in a non-traditional way” (1996). When you find a research document then you will be informed of the research methods that were used and there will be explanations for the data that was retrieved. Also, check the bibliography for other sources. The sources that are listed will be linked to the research document and will have had participation in the findings. Lastly, check the background information for accuracy (Kirk, 1996). After checking for accuracy, it is important to check for Currency, which is the timeliness of the web page. First look for a publication date which is usually located by the authors name or at the bottom of the page. This will tell you when the information was gathered if you are looking for specific time periods. Also, observe if the article refers to the clearly dated information. It was also inform you of the current updates. Usually online, you will find articles that get updated regularly which is also a good thing because you are being presented with the most current information. Importantly, check for a copyright date. All documents have a copyright date, if not, and then it is most likely someone’s personal point of view (Kirk, 1996). Lastly, when using the search engines that I have listed above, look at how that website displays the information and how often their information is updated. When using an Academic Library, which you can also use online, you are guaranteed subjects headings, abstracts, and other evaluative information that was created by professional authors in that area. Library indexes display reliable information. Basically, if you find an article on the internet that is everything that you are looking for but there it was not evaluated by a professional, then it is most likely someone’s point of view or own findings. On the internet, you will stumble upon this a lot so I would suggest using Kirk’s tips when searching on the internet; fortunately, they are common sense but they give you a guideline and they will help to insure that your sources will be reliable. It will also help you distinguish good information from bad that way it is not as time consuming and frustrating, like I said before. Overall, Kirk’s tips help us navigate internet web sites when we are dealing with a lot of information or information overload.
As above, tips were listed to help navigate the internet, but now it would be important to discuss how to deal with information overload when it becomes overwhelming. After looking through articles, I have developed my own list of how to deal with information overload. First, make everything very clear! Don’t just type in a one word search like “chromosomes.” Use key words or even ask a question that way it can be answered. When using key words, it will narrow down the search results; unfortunately, you will still end up with thousands of results but I would recommend sticking to one page because the first few websites usually contain what you are looking for. Google.com also lists their scholarly articles at the very top if you are looking for scholarly work. As before, know your best search engine. Google.com is a great search engine but it only contains almost 50% of the World Wide Web sites. Other search engines like Ask.com are good search engines also it just depends on what works for you so that you don’t get overwhelmed. Importantly, we should all use our local or school libraries. It can either be books, journals, articles, or the internet. In a library you are guaranteed reliable information from a professional source. This is what libraries are for, and if we don’t continue to use them and only use the internet then we are all going to become internet addicts. Sometimes it is ok to use a library book, but they are guaranteed to you information that you can use and trust. Along with that, you can use a search engine, but the best source for credible and reliable information is using an Academic Database. At colleges especially, they show you where to find the Academic Databases in your library. These databases contain articles and journals from professional authors who specialize in that area of expertise. When using a Database, it will give the option to narrow down your search by using keywords, titles, and authors so that it can search for what you want to a precise point. As discussed before, it is crucial to use keywords when doing a search, if not, then you will end up with millions of search results and at that point it will be extremely time consuming to filter through each website to distinguish which sites are credible. Lastly, I would suggest maintaining focus on one major idea. This term is called Targeting. This is important because it keeps organization in your search. If you change ideas and tend to skip around then you will not be successful. Keep one idea in mind until you have found decent information online, then you can move to your next point or idea. If you have a specific goal that you want to achieve then make sure you stick to one idea. It’s just like anything in life; you have to set goals in order to reach them. Disorganization on the internet can lead to a lot of frustration and can be extremely time consuming when we are scattering our ideas all over the web. The best way to achieve is to use organizational skills as I had listed above. Overall, as we previously discussed, these ideas help you “cope” with information overload. It will not fix it because nothing can and it will only continue to get worse. Use Kirk’s tips on how to find the right information and then avoid information overload by narrowing down your searches, using libraries, and knowing how to navigate your search engine. Make your statement crystal clear that way when it goes to search it can give you the most accurate results.
In conclusion, information is constantly being added to the web that is useful and some non-useful. With that, it can lead to excessive time spent on the internet with can then lead to a lot of frustration online. We as individuals have the choice to use the internet or to use other sources such as the media. When using the internet, it is crucial for your sake to have some navigation skills and a certain criteria when you are trying to find information for research purposes. There are plenty of ways to help you navigate the internet since it contains an abundant amount of information, and that is to use credible websites and search engines. If it becomes too difficult, then resort to a library where professionals can help you find what you are looking for. Use the tips as discussed in this paper. Information overload is an issue that is not only on the internet but the internet has been the source of this problem. It can make our experiences on the web that were once entertaining into a frustrating and stressful experience. Keep in mind that we all make choices to get on the internet to find information and that we still need to take advantage of the other resources that are around us. Information overload can be difficult to deal with, but as we discussed in this paper, there are ways to help alleviate the frustration. We all know that in today’s society, technology advancements and the amounts of information being thrown into the internet are only going to increase. Who knows what it will be like 10 years from now. Since there is no filter on the web, the best thing that we can do is to deal with it and to use skills that will help successfully navigate the internet, that way when you are on a search it will save you time and you will find valuable information that you can use.
Works Cited Page
Black, K. (2003). What is Information overload? WiseGeek, Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-information-overload.htm
Ingebrigsten, N. (2007). Understanding information overload. Infogineering, Retrieved from http://www.infogineering.net/understanding-information-overload.htm
Credaro, A.B. (2001). Now we’ve got the internet, do we still need libraries? Warrior Librarian, Retrieved from http://www.warriorlibrarian.com/RESEARCH/libresearch.html
Kirk, E.E. (1996). Evaluating information overload found on the internet. John Hopkins University, Retrieved from http://www.library.jhu.edu/researchhelp/general/evaluating/
Van Winkle, W. (n.d.). Fighting data asphyxiation on the internet is difficult but possible. Information Overload, Retrieved from http://www.gdrc.org/icts/i-overload/infoload.html
Leiner, B. (n.d.). Histories of the internet. Retrieved from http://www.isoc.org/internet/history/brief.shtml
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