INFORMATION PARALYSIS By Nonyerem Ibiam

I had been toying with the idea of starting a blog for some months now. Initially, I wanted to start blogging right away, but then I decided to surf the net for some information on how to start a blog; that, was a mistake. I was overwhelmed with so much information that I became… yes you guessed it; confused. Now, I know why.

In the good old days, looking for information simply meant walking into a library or looking things up in an encyclopaedia or a thesaurus. A new research into ‘Decision Science’ shows that people faced with a plethora of choices are apt to make no decision at all. This means when people are confronted with more information, they feel overwhelmed and opt out.

Before now, the conventional wisdom is that the more the information, the better the result. But the fact is that more information can be debilitating. In his book ‘The Art of Choosing’, Sheena Iyanga writes that when we make decisions, we compare bundles of information. So a decision becomes harder if the amount of information you have to juggle is greater.

Iyanga went on to point out that the ceaseless influx of information makes us to respond instantly, thereby sacrificing accuracy and thoughtfulness. Many employers have banned the use of any form of social media in the work place as many employees spend a lot of their working time receiving and responding to information. Those distractions often affect productivity.

Researchers point out that our brain is wired to notice change over stasis. An arriving email that pops to the top of your Black Berry is a change, and so does a new facebook post. When you let information come at you all the time, you are less likely to make a wise judgment. The research findings are particularly scary when you consider the effect of this kind of information bombardment on workers handling sensitive job roles that require full concentration and attention. Examples are doctors, drivers and pilots.

In the U.S, a study showed that many car accidents occurred as a result of distracted drivers sending or receiving text messages while driving.

So next time you want to embark on a research, remember that the fewer the better. Especially, if you do not want to get confused,