Information Overload Awareness Day – August 12, 2009
By Anna Johnson on July 13th, 2009Who would have thought? Information overload is perceived as such a problem that we now have a day – August 12, 2009 – earmarked as a day for individuals and organizations to consider the problem of information overload.
Of course, let’s not kid ourselves. Information Overload Awareness Day is also a smart initiative by knowledge economy research and advisory firm, Basex, to draw attention to the problem and, no doubt, to itself as a provider of some of the solutions.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not being cynical. I’m impressed! Information overload IS a problem. And it’s just terrific marketing for a company to designate a day, and an online event (tickets cost $50), to bring attention to the problem and the latest research and solutions on the subject.
After all, we can largely thank the florist industry for Mother’s Day and Valentines Day, the hardware industry for Father’s Day, and all sorts of other special interest groups for other special days. These are all great examples of marketing and, certainly in the case of Mother’s Day, Valentines Day and Father’s Day… they can work very well.
Back to information overload. Basex defines this to be excessive information that impacts someone’s ability to make decisions, process information, and prioritize tasks. It’s also a serious issue for individuals and organizations alike.
“By 2012, the typical knowledge worker will receive hundreds of messages each day via e-mail, IM, text, and social networks,” said Jonathan Spira, chief analyst, Basex in a press release.
By 2012? What about now?
According to the firm, the problem costs the U.S. economy $900 billion per year in lower productivity and innovation.
The Information Overload Awareness Day online event on August 12 will feature a variety of speakers including noted authors Maggie Jackson (“Distracted”) and Mike Song (“The Hamster Revolution”), executives from such companies as Dow Jones and Morgan Stanley, a CIO from the U.S. Air Force, and Basex’s Jonathan Spira.
While the cost of the event is $50… you get a 50 percent discount if you promise not to multi-task (i.e. IM, e-mail, or text) during the event!
For more information and how you can be involved visit Information Overload Awareness Day.
