# 14. Overload ## 14.5. Methodology/Refinements/Sub-species ### 14.5.1. Information overload First mentioned in the 1970 book "Future Shock" by Alvin Tofler, the concept of information overload is not new to us. However, the incidence of the problem and its use in manipulation has grown dramatically since the invention of modern media like cinema, radio and television and even more so with the advent of the internet and global media. In industry and government it is quite easy to confuse people by overloading them with too much data, information or new concepts. Of course, the manipulator has the benefit of being able to prepare in advance, whereas the victim has the disadvantage of having to try and wade through what is presented to him in a reasonable amount of time. It is not unknown for certain consulting companies to use this technique with their clients. Their reports usually take a considerable time to read, digest and implement. By the time any adverse reaction occurs, the advisers are often long gone and far away from any repercussions, having ensured first, of course, to pick up their cheque. #### 14.5.1.1. What are the general causes and methods of information overload The world is producing more and more data every year, both in kind and quality. This is the result of the obvious innovations in data processing, but also because of the new global media and global market in data: > - **Internet** communications allow data and information to be rapidly disseminated and replicated over vast numbers of recipients, without geographical limit. > - **More communications channels** allow more communications. Just look at the history of the Western world in the last 100 years in terms of communications: > 100 years ago we had newspapers and elite groups had some crude telephonic and/or radio equipment. > 50 years ago, we had many more newspapers, most of us had radio, most had access to a telephone and television, and cinemas were common. > 20 years ago, the internet was arriving, telephone, television and radio use was universal. Mobile telephony was just beginning. Email was used in business. > Today, the internet has spread across the globe and has become entirely mobile. Email, short-messaging is in constant use for business and social contact. Few people do not possess a mobile phone. Communication by voice and exchange of data, sounds or images is universal and virtually continuous. > - **Inability to process**: The victim's poor ability and lack of methods for interpreting a large volume of data and separating quality data from junk. > - **Background noise**: The volume of data interference (background noise) versus the volume of quality data means that we have much more work to do to filter the quality data out. > - **Data diversity**: The lack of relationship between data we receive. We may receive emails, SMS messages, tweets or other social network messages from family members, employers, subordinates, marketing organisations, friends or just perfect strangers on a whole range of topics, some important, some urgent, some totally irrelevant, all often unconnected. > - **Email**: Email is still considered to be the single biggest source of information overload in most corporate environments. The term "email wars" was cited to describe the use of CC and BCC to cause vast numbers of emails to proliferate with a basic purpose to damage or cause embarrassment to another colleague, department or company. The perpetrator claims he is just keeping everyone informed whereas there is obviously a more mischievous motive. Email has become the tool of choice for "hedging bets" by copying in anyone remotely connected with a particular topic or issue. By doing this a manipulator (or victim) can insure against peer accusations of withholding information. ## 14.6. Avoidance and Counteraction ### 14.6.1. Information overload There are a number of techniques for recognising, avoiding and counteracting Information Overload: **Out of office**: This really comes down to prioritising communications. Avoid being pushed by external agendas. An email pulls your attention away from the plan you had for today's work. Don't allow an external agency to distract you from your plan. This may mean not being home, not being on MSN or Skype, not answering the phone, not answering emails etc. When you have completed your agenda, you can look at the incoming requests calmly and decide which you will attend to. One simple system uses the criteria of NEVER responding to or commenting on anything which is not addressed directly to you and never informally accepting responsibility for anything which is outside your strict area of responsibility. **Dump the inbox**: One extreme method is simply to delete your entire in-tray when it becomes overly full with unanswered emails or other requests. This has the effect of filtering the junk from the important and of automatically prioritising the communications. You will be amazed at how few of the emails are ever followed up by a reminder, meaning basically that they were just junk mail. **It's urgent for you but not for me**: People with "urgent requests" are altering your agenda for their own reasons and for their own benefit, not for yours. Requests become "urgent" because someone else (not you) has messed up. Never accept the urgency of a request from an outside source. Always schedule the request as normal and make sure the external source knows this. Don't budge on it. The manipulator will either ignore you in future or start to behave properly. **Prioritise data**: Not all data is equally important in all circumstances. During working time, a tweet from an acquaintance is not as important as a marketing report from your boss. And vice versa - your free time is your time and not your bosses. **Demand time to evaluate**: When confronted with a deliberate data overload, refuse to accept time limits. First establish what is necessary to evaluate the data, document these steps and then document the time and other resources you need. Send this "reasonable" schedule to the manipulator and other related agencies and ask them to provide you with an explanation of their time limits and schedule. If the time and resources are not made available then refuse to participate in the evaluation of the data. **Undo the Overload Payload**: When it's obvious that a manipulator is trying to force a victim to accept their summary or their set of conclusions rather than allowing the victim to evaluate the data, the victim can neutralise the manipulative strategy by "playing it back" to the manipulator. The victim can simply pick any single conclusion or random set of conclusions from the manipulator's "payload summary" and question its veracity. If a conclusion is based on a large and complex dataset, the manipulator will be faced with the task of explaining in detail how the conclusion was calculated or reached and all the associated assumptions involved. The explanation will take longer than the original calculation and will effectively increase the cost of the manipulation. If this strategy can be extended the manipulator will soon come to see that there is too much to lose a/ in terms of time and b/ in terms of credibility.