Objectives
People all over the world are experiencing information overload (IO). Its definition has long focused on a large amount of information (Bawden and Robinson, 2009). Today, we can see that the problem is not only the quantity of information but also its reliability. The authors of the Information Overload Scale (IOS) defined it as “a distress associated with the perception that there is too much information” (Williamson, Eaker, and Lounsbury, 2012, p. 1). Due to the emotional burden of the situation, the emotional aspects of IO become more critical. Specifically, COVID-19 is the factor that increases the number of information and its evaluation (e.g., de Bruin, 2021) or fake news (Bermes, 2021). IO has also been the subject of research focusing on information literacy (e.g., Lauri and Virkus, 2018).
The aim of the study was to indicate the challenges and recommendations for information literacy, based on the results of national surveys on IO, providing an insight into different experiences, attitudes, emotions,, and/or education needs based on the specifics of demographic characteristics (such as age or level of education), or other potential correlation phenomena (e.g., problematic use of social media or FOMO).
Methodology
The Information Overload Scale (Williamson, Eaker, & Lounsbury, 2012) was used in two waves of representative surveys of Polish Internet users aged 15 and older. IOS focuses on emotional aspects and subjective perceptions of information overload, thus revealing individual perceptions of one’s information skills.
Outcomes
The results do not confirm the differences in IO perception between sexes. Instead, they show a reduction in perceived burdens between 2021 and 2022, which can be linked to a suspension of lockdowns and the termination of online work. The way to respond to the elements of perceived IO may be a tip for information literacy education that is tailored to a specific social group and reflects the challenges of time and circumstances.
References
- Bawden, D., & Robinson, L. (2009). The dark side of information: Overload, anxiety, and other paradoxes and pathologies. Journal of Information Science, 35(2), 180–191.
- Bermes, A. (2021). Information overload and fake news sharing: A transactional stress perspective exploring the mitigating role of consumers’ resilience during COVID-19. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 61, 102555.
- de Bruin, K., de Haan, Y., Vliegenthart, R., Kruikemeier, S., & Boukes, M. (2021). News avoidance during the COVID-19 crisis: Understanding information overload. Digital Journalism, 9(9), 1286–1302.
- Lauri, L., & Virkus, S. (2018). Information overload of academic staff in higher education institutions in Estonia. In S. Kurbanoğlu et al. (Eds.), Information Literacy in Everyday Life, The Sixth European Conference on Information Literacy, ECIL 2018, Oulu, Finland, September 24-27, 2018: Revised Selected Papers. Communications in Computer and Information Science (CCIS) 989 (pp. 347–356). Cham: Springer International Publishing.
- Williamson, J., Eaker, P. E., & Lounsbury, J. (2012). The information overload scale. Proceedings of the ASIST Annual Meeting, 49(1), 1–3.
Małgorzata Kisilowska-Szurmińska
University of Warsaw, Poland
English 
French