IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2018 - 11

Abdullah Shahid and Ningzi Li

Drowning in Information,
Starving for Knowledge
Information Overload Paradox: Drowning in Information, Starving for Knowledge.
By L. V. Orman. Seattle, WA: Create Space Independent Publishing, 2016, 190 pages.

1) Substitution: As people substitute
"cheap for expensive," "complex
for simple," and "formal for informal," a large quantity of information drives out high-quality
information.
2) Obsolescence: Changes in technologies often require orga n i zationa l adapt ations a nd
specialization. Consequently,
old but useful information,
methods, and practices get lost.
3) Competition: Information overload makes information a competitive weapon. Social actors
competing for limited resources
might mislead each other through
deliberate misinformation.
Although it is not fully clear how
the three mechanisms fit together
and where the boundary of their
explanatory power is drawn, Orman
does a great job in illustrating them
individually. He also makes the
problem of information overload
appear manageable and solvable.
However, when it comes to solutions, Orman leaves us with some
contradictions, and sidesteps some
existing solutions as well. We will
examine these solutions and propose to consider the interaction of
three mechanisms.
First, he prescribes "liberalism"
and "protectionism" at the same
time without addressing why apparently inefficient organizations may
monopolize social lives. According

nformation overload
is not a new phenomenon, but a part
and parcel of modern life. In this vein,
Georg Simmel earlier suggested in
The Metropolis and Mental Life [1]
that overwhelming stimuli transform the psyche of urban individuals and help them develop a blasé
attitude. Social scientists have also
sought to understand "information
overload," its determinants, consequences, and remedies ever since.
An "information overload" keyword
search in Google Books today yields
300 000+ hits! So is there anything
new in Orman's book?
Orman poses "information overload" as a paradox and carries out
the daunting task of drawing from
a large body of literature to give us
three mechanisms through which
such paradox arises. The paradox is
that technologies help us know more,
but in the process, we know less. In
a Simmelian world, this is not an
entirely novel proposition. However,
Orman's simplification of the problem along with pertinent evidence
makes the mechanisms a compelling narrative. As we are moving fast
towards "ubiquitous computing,"
Orman's effort is timely. In summary,
Orman's mechanisms are as follows:

Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/MTS.2018.2804981
Date of publication: 2 March 2018

March 2018

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IEEE Technology and Society Magazine

to Orman, we need to allow institutions to compete so we do not end
up with quick, irreversible substitutions; whereas, to prevent obsolescence, we need to practice "cultural
protectionism." He argues that organizations such as state, family, and
church are monopolies with breeding grounds for irreversible substitutions. Even if these organizations
adopt inefficient practices, the practices become almost impossible to
change. So, we need competition,
such that practices come about
through small-scale experimentations. While Orman's illustrations
are appealing, he does not note why
such organizations survive despite
being inefficient monopolies. The
causes are, of course, multifaceted,
and have been subject to debate.
For instance, in a recent provocative manuscript, "Why Nations Fail,"
Acemoglu and Robinson show
that states are inefficient because
extractive political institutions in
them allow some people an unequal
opportunity to usurp resources and
power [2]. So, if Orman is to prevent states or nations from adopting
inefficient, irreversible practices,
he should address the causes (e.g.,
Acemoglu and Robinson's extractive
political institutions).
Second, Orman suggests that use
of "trust partners" can save people
from misinformation, but does not
elaborate on the downside of such

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of IEEE Technology and Society Magazine - March 2018