Knowledge is power in the 21st century, but we now receive more information than we can process. The phenomenon could have dangerous consequences for us. The problem of information overload was addressed by an international team of scientists, which also included researchers from Wrocław University of Science and Technology.

The team presented their findings in the prestigious journal Nature Human Behaviour. The authors – researchers from Germany, the UK, the USA, Israel, Austria, Slovenia, and Poland – include Prof. Przemysław Kazienko and Professor of the University Tomasz Kajdanowicz, PhD, Eng. from Wrocław Tech’s Faculty of Computer Science and Telecommunications. Conducted as part of the European Omino project (Horizon Europe), the research will continue until 2026.

“The information space should be treated in the same way as the environment around us, where pollution affects our well-being. Daily information overload causes cognitive overload and, combined with fatigue, time pressure, and limited working memory capacity, makes it difficult for us to do our tasks. In scientific work, too, we face the big challenge of having to filter out irrelevant or low-quality papers,” says Prof. Przemysław Kazienko from the Department of Artificial Intelligence.

The researchers point out that we already faced a similar situation during the Industrial Revolution when a huge increase in iron and chemical production was considered necessary for progress. However, we now understand that it carried serious risks – uncontrolled fume emissions from smokestacks can lead to degradation and pose a serious threat to humanity.

The emergence of environmental groups helped to change our awareness and attitudes towards the exploitation of nature. It also necessitated legal and economic changes to protect air, water, soil, and food quality.

How to protect the information space?

“In the 21st century, we have other pressing challenges relating to information overload. We must start thinking of the information space as an additional component of our environment. This implies the need to develop methods to protect this space from congestion and pollution,” emphasises Prof. Kazienko.

In their paper, the researchers distinguished between three levels of perceived information overload, which are interdependent: neuronal and cognitive mechanisms at the level of a person, decisions and perception of information within social groups, community-wide level of interaction between individuals, groups, and information providers.

“In teamwork, information is processed on an individual level, but it’s also exchanged between team members. Bearing this in mind, we can think of the flow of information as a multi-level network with nodes that represent individuals, groups, and whole societies and connections that reflect the interactions between them. This creates a complex system with its dynamics,” explains the researcher from the Faculty of Computer Science and Telecommunications.

The researchers therefore hypothesised that while the transition from manageable information flow to information overload may be easy in a closed group, an abrupt change can be expected when combining two or more groups.

“When several team members start to suffer from information overload, it can lead to a sharp decline in the information processing capacity and overall performance of the entire team. To better understand the effects and causes of information overload, it’s therefore necessary to develop metrics and models for such a multi-level, complex group, and then effective remedial methods,” points out Prof. Przemysław Kazienko.

So, what to do when information overload occurs? At an individual level, for example, we can limit and control excessive smartphone use by using protective apps that measure the time spent online. As far as organisations are concerned, on the other hand, we can train employees in the proper use of everyday communication and Internet tools.

“However, some solutions can be double-edged swords. Generative artificial intelligence models such as ChatGPT can help reduce information overload by preparing summaries and supporting information retrieval. On the other hand, they can cause a huge increase in published content, create false information, and reinforce stereotypes,” the researcher points out.

The authors of the article suggest starting a structured action, to be carried out simultaneously in three different areas: science, education, and legislation.

The first requires funding for interdisciplinary research projects on the ecology of multi-level information overload. The second, as is the case with waste recycling, is the teaching of information ecology in schools. As for the third one, it means initiating discussions on appropriate regulations in this area.

Currently, in collaboration with researchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore, our scientists are working to identify the long-term risks posed by ubiquitous recommender systems, a subject that no one has yet addressed.