User:Cwendland

The term is relatively new and was discovered when a study was done at the Institute of Psychiatry. Studies have been performed to measure if the constant flow of information has any effects on people. There are many ways to deal with infomania; however, it is up to the person and how they want to handle the incessant flow of material.

Classification
The term infomania is used to describe the continuous expansion of information and how it impacts people. Not only does infomania affect people, but it affects establishments, small businesses, and schools. The term was discovered in a study done at the Institute of Psychiatry. The study focused on extreme use of technology to communicate with others and the results showed that this technology was affecting workers intelligence. The study found that endless data flow affects an individual’s ability to pay attention and focus. Infomania typically strikes when people allow the constant streaming of information to consume them. According to Zeldes, information overload is a much more intricate problem than having too much communications technology. Problems dealing with health, job fulfillment, and tension with others also play a role with infomania.

Signs and symptoms
There are a few ways to decipher if an individual is dealing with information overload. “Infomaniacs are the kind of people who talk distractedly in conversation while thumbing text messages about nothing much, or who interrupt romantic dinner to check e-mails on their BlackBerry’s”. Infomaniacs are recipients who respond to e-mails or text messages quickly and are unceasingly distracted or interrupted continuously throughout the day. Similarly, individuals who spend 20 hours a week responding to communications technology could also be classified as Infomaniacs.

Causes
Infomania affects an individual’s ability to pay attention and it provides many distractions and disruptions. The technology around the world and all the information that comes along with that technology is creating distractions. These continuous interferences and diversions allow people to get off task and lose their train of thought. According to IEEE Spectrum, “The tidal wave of data is drowning us. It washes away our productivity and creativity, swamps our social lives, and can even shipwreck our relationships”. Between creativity and distractions, creativity diminishes. When an individual reads or checks a text message or e-mail continuously throughout the day, the individual’s precision, ingenuity, and judgment reduces. Consequently, an individual’s work ethic becomes poor.

Management
Infomania can be handled in many different ways; it is all dependent on the person and how they cope with things in general. A simple way of dealing with infomania would be to work at home, which if handled correctly “can significantly enhance both productivity and work-life balance”. Another way to deal with infomania could be to “determine your best method for learning … make a list of terms you use without knowing their meaning… and find their meaning one by one; and plan your information diet as you would a vacation”. Some other methods could be to plan quiet time, avoid text messages or e-mails, or prevent the use of thoughtless communication. Another method would be “before adopting any new technology, we should figure out how best to use it in the cultural context it will inhabit”. There may be other methods to dealing with information overload; nonetheless, it is up to what works best for each individual.

Research
A study was done at the Institute of Psychiatry and the study was designed to discover the effects infomania has on people. The study found that an individual’s IQ falls 10 points when their attention is diverted by communications technology. The study also found that 62% of adults are obsessed with checking their e-mails and text messages. A survey was conducted at Intel to discover how many hours’ people spend giving out e-mails and text messages. The survey found that people spend 20 hours a week using such technology. Along with and surveys, research was done. At the University of California, Gloria Mark and her co-workers performed research to find how many times an individual is interrupted by technology. People are interrupted throughout the day every three minutes. Another company conducted the same study and the researchers found that within 3 minutes people read 70% of their e-mails. Since researchers have been studying the problem for years, organizations are now starting to take action to assuage infomania.