INFORMATION OVERLOADED

   

According to certain studies conducted, when people are overwhelmed by too much information it leads to certain adverse effects. During COVID-19, a survey was conducted in Seoul, South Korea among 627 residents. The study showed that the cognitive capacity and the frequency of online news use and interpersonal communication were significant predictors of information overload.

Data is everywhere. It is hidden in something as small as a human protein and as large as Earth’s atmosphere. Since the beginning of the internet, data has been growing exponentially. People are pumping out an unbelievable amount of data into the web everyday which is nearly 2.5 quintillion bytes.

Information Overloaded

Information Overloaded is a state when one is presented with too much information which causes difficulty to a person for taking decisions due to the presence of excess information or it is the kind of stress you feel when you consume more information than you can “digest”.

History

The term ‘information overloaded’ was coined by a professor of political science named Bertram Gross but it was popularised by an American writer Alvin Toffler. 

This concept was there around since 3rd or 4th century BCE. Throughout history there have been complaints about information overload particularly during the Renaissance and the industrial revolution periods.

Causes

Nowadays an enormous amount of irrelevant data is reaching among the people and make them confused. This is one of the main problems faced by the present society and so, the topic is more overlooked. Some main causes of information overload are:

• Lack of clarity in the information. As due to the large bombardment of the information the people find it difficult to reach at a final understanding as they got a lot of information but unable to understand but mere a random data.

• As there is a lot of sources to get information and each source have different meaning and it makes people confusing. Multiple sources of information are a cause of information overload.

• Sometimes the user cannot read the information within his time limit. It is due to the large amount of information.

• There are no methodologies for quickly processing, comparing and evaluating information sources.

Effects

People have started finding themselves becoming more stressed from the distraction, pressure and interruptions that have entered their lives because of the relentless flow of information.

Poor decision-making is one of the biggest impacts of information overload, which has reduced the mental capacity. Researches shows that information overload has made people to work below their potential and lost their focus on work. As a result, less productivity, think superficially and generate fewer ideas and cause errors. Due to the poor mental health, it takes time to keep all the information. This not only happens in work but also in personal life also and starts to affect health. Dealing with a lot of stress than before cause increase in anxiety levels, high rate of irritation and depression level and may lead to death sometimes.

Preventions

The information should be kept simple so that it will be easy to interpret. It should be presented in an innovative way so that the user can understand easily. Use the information effectively to accomplish a specific purpose. The provided information should be linked with similar ideas so that users can relate them.

Individuals can also avoid information overload by themselves.

• Ignore the extra information that they feel ignored or cannot consume.

• The information can be tackled by taking more time.

• Try to take key points from the bundle in information and work upon it rather be confused.

• Divide the work among others.

Information overload is a phenomenon which makes people confusing due to the bundle of data. In the coming generations this keeps on increasing. The prevention measures stated above can provide a relief for the users. The libraries, information professionals etc should come forward and provide certain measures for tackling the problem innovatively and effectively.

 By  Siddharth Krishnan

Content Writer

Social Journal

CHARITY FRAUD

 Giving money to others can give satisfaction to the donors. They may feel that many people are aided by their money and it is being spent for a good cause. On the other hand, there are many scams or frauds with the same. In such cases, one cannot claim that their money is reaching the right destination. For eg. In Hyderabad, a girl was scammed by a group of three people including a Nigerian on spiritual matters through social media and they took 6.52 lakhs for charity work in India, but were later caught by the police.

Charity Fraud

Charity fraud is an act of using fraudulent ways to ask people to donate money for charitable work, charitable trust, organizations, etc. Such people claim that they are part of an imaginary charitable trust asking people to donate to a non-existent charity. The money that is donated is generally used for other activities in favour of those people.

Signs of Charity scams

• Refusal to provide charity details: The people who commit such scams refuse to provide any relevant details such as any information about the organization, amount of money used, its headquarters, its tax-exempt number, etc.

• A pressurized ask: A lot of scammers make you donate through a pressurized asking so that they can claim the money more easily. But reputed organizations make you understand their trust and aims while also providing enough time to decide.

• Alternate payment methods: Providing money in cash, gift cards, or through any applications that they provide should be avoided as this will ensure that you won’t get that money back once paid.

• Registration on the accountable website: There are sites on which charity trusts can be registered to prove their accountability. As a genuine trust tries to protect its consumers by registering itself on the same, a fraudulent one would generally not be found registered on any such websites.

Types of Charity Fraud

Charity fraud can be divided into two types; internal and external

1. Internal:

These types of scams occur within organizations. The people working for the organization can fraudulently handle the money, steal it or perform any such related activities. The officials can abuse their power by manipulating the money and making false expenses. These kinds of activities lead to poor financial policies.

2. External:

Fraudulent activities that take place outside the organization can be included in external frauds. These include funding for false incidents and cyber-crimes such as sending emails, hacking, etc.

Steps to prevent Charity fraud

There are many ways in which people can prevent charity scams by themselves some of which are:

Donating to established, certified organizations which you trust the most or adore their work. Beware of scams where a fraud institution is introduced in the name of a reputed organization. At present charity, fraud is going on in the name of COVID. Money should be given only after proper research. Proper research about the organization is important before giving out your precious money. Every proper organization is registered under certain government-oriented corporations. Always try to donate through cheque or credit card as most scammers collect money in cash, gift card, etc. so as to prevent any proof. There can be requests for donations sent through mails or other platforms, avoid clicking on any links provided with such emails as they may lead to giving out your private information to the wrong hands.

 Conclusion

Charity monitoring organizations are there to eradicate the charity scams that are present in society. They provide information about these scams to the people and make them aware of the same.

A crucial role is played by charitable trusts in the social structure. Despite all these precautions the general public is mending to fall into such scams because of their generous nature and also the scammers trying to be more and more promising every day.

                                                                 By  Siddharth Krishnan

Content Writer

Social Journal