Scientists have highlighted three big worries. Firstly, information overload can make people feel anxious: there
is too much to do and not enough time to do it. People end up multitasking, which can make them even more stressed. Secondly, information overload can make people less creative. Research shows that people are more likely to be creative if they are allowed to focus on one thing for some time, without interruptions. Thirdly, information overload can make people less productive. People who multitask take much longer and make many more mistakes than people who do the same tasks one after another.
What can be done about information overload? One solution is technological: there is now a computer program or app you can install called ‘Freedom’, which disconnects you
from the web at preset times. The second solution involves willpower. Switch off your mobile phone and the internet from time to time. The manager of an IT company puts ‘thinking time’ into his schedule, when all his electronic devices are switched off so that he isn’t disturbed. This might sound like common sense. But nowadays, although we have more information than ever before, we do not always have enough common sense.