Navigating Information Overload With Digital Literacy

Did you know that the average smartphone user gets 46 push notifications daily? Though it sounds like a lot, it’s absolutely plausible. After all, we only have to look at our own mobile phones to realize that it’s true. As we scroll through dozens of notifications, we see screen after screen filled with alerts from different apps.

It seems harmless but it’s a great example of information overload. If you don’t believe us, just think of how much information you were able to retain from all those alerts. Even if you keep an eye out for important updates, they’re easy to miss because they become lost in all those notifications.

Information overload has crept into other parts of our lives. When we browse for purchases online whether they’re books, bags, or clothes, how we decide where to go on our next vacation, which school to send our children to, or which social media platforms to patronize—these trivial tasks require us to deal with information overload.

Is there a way for us to better manage it?

There is, actually. The answer is digital literacy. With it, we can make decisions without worrying about FOMO and ultimately learn to manage the ocean of data out there instead of drowning in it.

According to a survey by the Pew Research Center (2016), 56% of Americans find it challenging and stressful to keep track of large volumes of data. However, information overload has been a major challenge for schools, banks, and government agencies since the 1970s.

While reducing the rate of content production is an impossible task, there are other ways to deal with information overload. According to Kurelovic, Davidovic, and Tomljanovic (2016), equipping yourself with digital literacy skills could be a better solution.

What Are Digital Literacy Skills?

According to Gilster (1997), digital literacy lends greater focus on mastering ideas and less on mastering keystrokes. It refers to the ability to successfully find, evaluate, and communicate information from digital sources. There are many aspects to digital technologies and there are just as many digital literacy skills that cater to them. Examples of digital literacy skills include information literacy, media literacy, online safety, communication skills, etc.

The Obstacle of Information Overload

While there are many challenges to digital literacy, information overload takes the top spot. With content creation becoming easier than ever, there’s naturally an abundance of information online. An overload of information often becomes a hurdle in successfully gathering reliable information.

Multiple devices make it easy to access and consume information anywhere, anytime. This makes it easier for people to get bogged down by too much information which can slow down productivity and decision-making.

There’s also the issue of misinformation and fake news, which further affects our ability to make sound decisions. According to Peng, Xu, and Huang (2021), if the amount of information exceeds the individual’s processing capacities, it can negatively affect the quality of their decisions.

Using Digital Literacy To Deal With Information Overload and Decision-Making

There are various reasons why digital literacy is crucial for tackling information overload and making informed decisions.

Research Skills

Research skills refer to an individual’s ability to search, identify, validate, and select information on a given subject matter. It involves filtering information, checking facts, cross-referencing sources to ensure accuracy, and navigating online databases.

Depending on what the purpose is, research skills can help us find useful sources to stay informed about current events, learn new skills, buy products at reasonable prices, and more.

Research skills can also help develop sub-skills like time management, note-taking, problem-solving, paying attention to details, etc.

Critical Thinking and Evaluation Skills

Critical thinking and evaluation skills can help determine the reliability of a source. It involves evaluating facts and analyzing problems to understand a topic and then find its solution.

These skills teach us how to effectively remove cognitive biases, assumptions, and emotions from entering the process when we’re critically evaluating data. According to Gaine (2012), critical thinking allows individuals to discover deeper, hidden meanings in a text. It requires us to question the information, source, purpose of content, agenda of the publisher/producer, etc.

In real-life examples, critical thinking and evaluation skills are important for making informed decisions. It is with these skills that we avoid falling into the trap of fake news and misinformation.

Computer Skills

The technical knowledge and ability to operate computers and online resources, websites, software, apps, etc. is a core aspect of digital literacy. With computer literacy skills, we can quickly perform actions while operating the device and navigating the internet to search for what we need. According to Shrivastav and Hiltz (2013), a lack of technical skills is one of the main causes of information overload.

Computer skills are one of the first few skills that we need to master before we can tackle other digital literacy skills.

Communication Skills

Communication skills, in the context of digital literacy, refer to the ability to express yourself online and comprehend the communication received.

If you’re using digital technology to access information, you may need to engage with others online. During such instances, you may need to write a professional email or ask a question to an online community. These are times when communication skills can help us engage in respectful and meaningful online conversations.

These communication skills aren’t limited to written or verbal communication. They also encompass visual and non-verbal communication. They involve learning and understanding the language that’s used in online content and the effect it has on the viewer, reader, or listener. Depending on the medium, the “language” can include graphics, text size, font, lighting, camera angles, etc.

Summing Up

From identifying plagiarized content to communicating with online communities, digital literacy skills are handy in many situations. Acquiring digital literacy skills is crucial for thriving in an increasingly digital world and its endless sea of information. Not only does digital literacy give us the ability to navigate all the information better, but it also enables us to use it for our benefit.

We spend so much of our lives in front of screens—the screens of our laptops, tablets, smartphones, and more—but how much do we really get out of it? Digital literacy suggests that we can make those countless hours more productive for us. Instead of simply being served endless information, we can get what we need more quickly and purposefully.