Living in the Age of Addiction: How “information overload” impacts our brains
Originally published at humanplus.substack.com
Nowadays, it seems like information is coming at us from all sides at a rate far faster than we can seem to process. If it isn’t the day-to-day “us vs. them” politics, it’s the endless stream of photos, tweets, and posts on social media; the advertisements bombarding the radio, entertainment channels, and billboards; or the mindless memes sent to us. Point being, we are sponges that restlessly absorb limitless quantities of data.
With this being said, it is imperative to note that information overload is not a new phenomenon faced by modern humans; in fact, it has been around for as long as books were first able to be mass-produced thanks to the Gutenberg press circa 1440.¹ This point in history really marked the start of wide-spread knowledge and literary globalization as a whole. As digitization became more prevalent in the last few decades, the rate at which information could be reproduced and distributed skyrocketed as a result. So, then, with near-limitless amounts of knowledge available to us in the palm of our hands, why is too much information detrimental to our mental health?
My personal hypothesis is that technology addiction is a very real issue that most of us have a difficult time coming to terms with. Just think: what is the first thing that you do after waking up in the morning? Chances are that you go straight to your phone and spend some time browsing social media before getting out of bed to start the day. If it sounds like I am being too critical here, forgive me; I’m guilty of this myself. And although I am making a real effort to break this (negative) habit, excuses are worthless.
It’s not just in the morning, either; try to recall all of the times during the day where you pull out your phone to avoid social interaction or to relieve basic boredom, even if it’s just for a couple of minutes. Interestingly, there is a term for this very sensation: nomophobia.² Just ask yourself, “what’s wrong with sitting down and simply doing nothing?” “Why is being actively engaged in the present moment so dreadful?”
The fact is, technology dictates our life patterns so much that we often forget how much our very sense of being is tied to it. It probably comes as no surprise that technology addiction can, in some instances, be as severe as gambling or substance dependencies.³ Furthermore, various studies corroborate the claim that a correlation exists between technology use and feelings of loneliness, depression, stress, low self-esteem, and reduced focus and memory recollection. Now, I’m not implying that watching a few YouTube videos a day means that you’re an anti-social hermit. Simply be truthful with yourself and contemplate if you are increasingly reliant on technology as a distraction or escape from the reality of your life. If so, then it may be worthwhile to change your habits.
Of course, I am well aware of the multitude of benefits that the presence of technology has. Like I mentioned earlier, past and present knowledge are available to us at the tap of a button, and there is really no better time to access information than now. To learn is beautiful, and the last thing that I would advocate for is the abolishment of anything that encourages it. My main concern is all of the excess noise that spills into our minds and distracts us from living intentionally. Disconnection, or at least reduced screen time, can be tremendously beneficial to our cerebral and emotional functions. Like anything else in life, moderation is key.
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Additional Resources
- A short TED Talk about one man’s personal experience with cognitive overload and the importance of quiet reflection.
- This video by Nathaniel Drew (one of the best creators out there) provides a fresh perspective on this very topic.
- A brief article on what information overload is and how it affects our brains.
Social Media
Works Cited
- Hemp, P. (2009, September). Death by Information Overload. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2009/09/death-by-information-overload
- Bhattacharya, S., Bashar, M. A., Srivastava, A., & Singh, A. (2019). NOMOPHOBIA: NO MObile PHone PhoBIA. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 8(4), 1297–1300. https://doi.org/10.4103/jfmpc.jfmpc_71_19
- Hamissi, J., Babaie, M., Hosseini, M., & Babaie, F. (2013). The Relationship between Emotional Intelligence and Technology Addiction among University Students (№5). International Journal of Collaborative Research on Internal Medicine & Public Health. https://www.iomcworld.org/articles/the-relationship-between-emotional-intelligence-andtechnology-addiction-among-university-students.pdf
