The bright side of information: ways of mitigating information overload

2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 767-775 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Information Overload ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Information Architecture ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Present Information ◽  
Bright Side

Purpose The complex phenomenon of information overload (IO) is one of the pathologies in our present information environment, thus symbolically it signalizes the existence of a dark side of information. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the approaches on mitigating IO. Hence, it is an attempt to display the bright side. Design/methodology/approach Based on a literature review, the sources of IO are briefly presented, not forgetting about the role of information technology and the influence of the data-intensive world. The main attention is given to the possible ways of mitigating IO. Findings It is underlined that there are both technological and social approaches towards easing the symptoms of IO. While reducing IO by increasing search task delegation is a far away goal, solutions emerge when information is properly designed and tools of information architecture are applied to enable findability. A wider range of coping strategies is available when we interact with information. The imperative of being critical against information by exercising critical thinking and critical reading yields results if different, discipline-dependent literacies, first of all information literacy and data literacy are acquired and put into operation, slow principles are followed and personal information management (PIM) tools are applied. Originality/value The paper intends to be an add-on to the recent discussions and the evolving body of knowledge about the relationship between IO and information architecture, various literacies and PIM.

scholarly journals Egy „örökzöld téma”: az információs túlterhelés

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
New Literacies ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Information Environment ◽  
Information Architecture ◽  
Slow Movement ◽  
Management Skills ◽  
Information Behaviour ◽  
Present Information

Az információs túlterhelés jelensége korunk „információs betegsége”, amely számtalan területen és változatos módon okoz nehézséget. A tanulmány egyaránt kitér a túlterhelés kialakulásának okaira és történetére. Nagy súlyt helyez annak tárgyalására, hogy miként enyhíthetők szimptómái technológiai jellegű és (főként) társadalmi természetű megközelítések adta eszközökkel. Az előbbiek szinte kizárólag az információépítészet megoldásai közül kerülnek ki, míg az utóbbiaknak három főbb útja van. Talán a legelterjedtebb az „új írástudások” propagálása, oktatása és alkalmazása, de élhetünk a személyes információkezelés eszközeivel, vagy követhetjük az új típusú információs viselkedési normákat is, amelyek elsősorban a Lassú Mozgalom (Slow Movement) elveire és gyakorlatára épülnek. --- Information Overload: an evergreen topic Information overload is one of the “pathologies” in our present information environment that causes difficulties in several fields and in varied ways. Nonetheless, it can be “cured”. This paper explains both the causes of Information Overload and its history. It points out that there are various ways of mitigating the symptoms of Information Overload when taking both technical and social approaches. The former of these are limited almost exclusively to the scope and capabilities of information architecture, while social approaches have many directions. The approaches that are perhaps the most prolific are propagating, teaching and applying “new literacies”, but we can make use of Personal Information Management skills, and can follow new norms of information behaviour, based mainly on the principles and practice of the Slow Movement.

Research 2.0 and Research Data Services in academic and research libraries: priority issues

2017 ◽  
Vol 38 (6/7) ◽  
pp. 345-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Research Data ◽  
The Body ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Data Services ◽  
Research Libraries ◽  
Data Intensive ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Local Environments ◽  
Data Stewardship

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the role of Research Data Services (RDSs), consisting of research data management, data curation and data stewardship, and data literacy education in supporting Research 2.0. Besides this, theory and principles, as well as selected examples of best practices in the relevant fields are presented. Design/methodology/approach A literature-based overview of actual insights on tasks and roles that academic and research libraries have to fulfil in order to react to the developments generated by the appearance and growing importance of Research 2.0 is provided. Taking the wide spectre of related issues into account, the discussion is limited to RDSs. Findings Even though Research 2.0 is evolving in different countries and some local environments in dissimilar ways, its data-intensive nature requires the helping presence of academic libraries and librarians. Being an emerging phenomenon, it will undoubtedly take several different shapes as it works itself out in time, but librarians should try to discover service niches, which may not be covered by other academic organisations, or their coverage is only partial or even unsatisfactory. Research limitations/implications Taking the wide spectre of issues into account, the review of literature is limited to the period between 2014 and 2016. Originality/value The paper intends to add to the body of knowledge about the relationship between RDSs and Research 2.0, as well as about the association between the components of the former.

Gender plays different roles? Examining the dark side of ubiquitous connectivity enabled by personal IT ensembles usage

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Hu ◽  
Ling Zhao ◽  
Sumeet Gupta ◽  
Xiuhong He
Keyword(s):  
Gender Differences ◽  
Role Theory ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Social Role ◽  
Two Dimensions ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to explore the negative consequences of ubiquitous connectivity enabled by personal IT ensembles (PITEs) usage; and second, to investigate the gender differences in the adverse effects of ubiquitous connectivity.Design/methodology/approachThis study employs a socio-technical approach to identify the technical and interpersonal dimensions of PITE-enabled ubiquitous connectivity and develops a theoretical model to investigate their stress-inducing effects based on the framework of technostress. Furthermore, the moderating role of gender is examined based on the social role theory. The authors test the model on a sample of 439 Chinese netizens.FindingsUbiquitous technical and interpersonal connectivity induce four stressors: information overload, communication overload, life invasion and privacy invasion. These stressors further lead to psychological exhaustion and reluctance to try new ITs. The ubiquitous technical connectivity exerts stronger effects on stressors for female users than male users, and interpersonal connectivity exerts a stronger effect for male users than female users.Originality/valueThis study primarily contributes to the small amount of research on PITE-enabled ubiquitous connectivity by considering ubiquitous connectivity from a socio-technical perspective and examining the stress-related effects and outcomes of both technical and interpersonal dimensions of ubiquitous connectivity. This study also provides valuable insights into the gender differences in the stress-inducing effects of the two dimensions of ubiquitous connectivity.

Witch-hunting, Cultural Revolution and the bright side of kinship

2018 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 87-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feng Deng
Keyword(s):  
Social Structure ◽  
Cultural Revolution ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Chinese Culture ◽  
Social Institutions ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Chinese History ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Bright Side ◽  
The Cultural Revolution

Purpose Many studies on witch killings in Africa suggest that “witchcraft is the dark side of kinship.” But in Chinese history, where patriarchal clan system has been emphasized as the foundation of the society, there have been few occurrences of witch-hunting except a large-scale one in the Cultural Revolution in 1966. The purpose of this paper is to explain the above two paradoxes. Design/methodology/approach Theoretical analysis based on preference falsification problem with regard to the effect of social structure on witch-hunting is carried out. Findings There is a “bright side of kinship” due to two factors: first, it would be more difficult to pick out a person as qualitatively different in Chinese culture; second, the hierarchical trust structure embedded in the Chinese culture can help mitigate the preference falsification problem, which acts as the leverage for witch-hunting. In this sense, an important factor for the Cultural Revolution is the decline of traditional social institutions and social values after 1949. Originality/value This paper is the first to advance the two paradoxes and offer an explanation from the perspective of social structure.

Exploring BIM-triggered organisational and professional culture change: a systematic literature review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonali Alankarage ◽  
Nicholas Chileshe ◽  
Raufdeen Rameezdeen ◽  
David J. Edwards ◽  
Aparna Samaraweera
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Essential Element ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
New Employees ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Considerable Impact

Purpose Building information modelling (BIM) has had a considerable impact on the socio-technical aspects of construction organisations. Culture has been considered an essential element in BIM practice. Hence, this paper aims to explore existing research relates to culture in the BIM context. Design/methodology/approach A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted based on the PRISMA guidelines using 104 articles published between 2011 and 2020 and directed with a descriptive and content analysis. Findings The SLR results give evidence that culture in the BIM context is still an under-researched topic. Culture has been considered as both a dependent and independent factor in the BIM domain. Organisational BIM culture is a collection of fundamental beliefs established in a BIM using organisation and passed to new employees with the use of BIM. BIM using organisations are have either weak or strong BIM cultures. Proper analysis and understanding of the BIM culture of different organisations are necessary to realise the strategies of transformation from a weak BIM culture to a strong BIM culture. Originality/value To the best of the author's knowledge, this is the first SLR in BIM research that investigates the role of culture in the BIM setting. This study contributed to the existing body of knowledge by proposing a conceptual framework to understand and change a weak BIM culture of an organisation to a strong, matured BIM culture. This SLR serves as a future research basis in BIM-triggered culture.

When abusive supervision leads to good performance: an exploration of the bright side of abusive supervision

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Filza Hameed ◽  
Sadia Shaheen ◽  
Bashir Ahmad ◽  
Muhammad Mudassar Anwar ◽  
Muhammad Ahmad-ur-Rehman
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Context ◽  
Structural Equation ◽  
Abusive Supervision ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Equation Modeling ◽  
Causal Inferences ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Work Related ◽  
Bright Side

PurposeThe successful performance of organizations depends on the smooth working relations between their leaders and employees. Considering the importance of the behaviors of leaders/supervisors, this study intends to explore the bright side of abusive supervision on the performance of trainees in different police colleges in Pakistan.Design/methodology/approachThe data for this study were collected from police colleges and supervisors in Pakistan, and the sample comprised police trainees and their instructors (N = 254 responses from 50 instructors and 254 police trainees). The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling via Amos to test the hypothesized relationships.FindingsResults reveal a positive connection between abusive supervision and the performance of trainees. Moreover, the moderating role of passion for a cause in the relationship between abusive supervision and trainee performance is supported.Research limitations/implicationsDespite its relevance, this study has certain limitations. First, this study was conducted in a specific occupational and cultural context. A comprehensive understanding of the diverse occupational and cultural context considerations can increase this study's value. Second, this study used cross-sectional data for analysis, which hindered us from making causal inferences. For a clear and improved understanding, longitudinal studies can help facilitate the process.Originality/valueThis study intends to explore the bright side of abusive supervision on the performance of trainees in different police colleges in Pakistan. The literature demonstrated the “dark side” of abusive supervision on work-related attitudes and behaviors. However, few studies investigated or explored the “bright side” of abusive supervision.

Borderline Fields of Information Architecture

2017 ◽  
pp. 1983-2002
Author(s):  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Information Architecture ◽  
Personal Information Management ◽  
Data Literacy ◽  
Information Professional ◽  
Extended Length ◽  
Complex Relationships

This chapter addresses the complex relationships between information architecture and information overload from the viewpoint of the information professional. It is discussed in the light of information literacy, which cannot be considered without a discussion of other related literacies. Special attention and extended length will be given to data literacy, which is relatively new, but is on the way of gaining particular weight with the growing importance of data-related issues. As borderline fields of information architecture, information overload, the different literacies and personal information management play dissimilar roles. Information overload is the symptom, while well-known approaches and tools of information architecture, information literacy and other literacies, as well as personal information management offer different tools to alleviate these symptoms. Notwithstanding, there is undeniable connection between them, which should be made subject to further research.

Information Overload

2021 ◽  
pp. 1805-1816
Author(s):  
Tibor Koltay
Keyword(s):  
Information Management ◽  
Information Literacy ◽  
Information Overload ◽  
Personal Information ◽  
Information Behavior ◽  
Critical Assessment ◽  
Information Architecture ◽  
Personal Information Management ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Data Literacy

Information overload (IO) appears in varied information-intensive spheres and everyday environments. This chapter defines its nature and types, outlines its history and names its diverse sources. It is underlined that IO is caused by a mix of factors. Measures and tools of preventing the occurrence of information overload and mitigating its symptoms can be technological by using the capabilities of information architecture. The repertoire of social approaches is much broader, because it includes practicing information literacy, engaging in data literacy, applying critical assessment, slow information behavior and Personal Information Management tools.

The dark side of effectiveness – risk and crisis as the “destroyer of worlds”

2014 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 338-348 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denis Fischbacher-Smith
Keyword(s):  
Design Methodology ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Dark Side ◽  
Symbiotic Relationship ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organisational Effectiveness

Purpose – This paper considers the dark side of organisational effectiveness and the processes by which and organisation can move into a state of crisis. The paper sets out a series of arguments around the relationships between people and processes and the manner in which they contribute to the incubation of crises within organisations. The purpose of this paper is to provide an introduction to many of the issues that are raised in this issue of the journal and calls for more research that explores the relationships between effectiveness and failure. Design/methodology/approach – The paper draws upon a range of literatures to set out the case for considering the negative aspects that surround organisational attempts at achieving effectiveness. In particular, it considers the role of both people and processes in a symbiotic relationship within the incubation of crisis. The paper highlights the importance of innovative practices in bypassing organisational controls. Findings – The paper outlines issues around management practices that serve to focus the attention of practitioners on the ways in which they can contribute inadvertently to the failure of the organisation. In particular, it highlights some of the potential vulnerabilities that can exist within the organisation and which, if unchecked, will result in failure. Originality/value – The paper highlights the need for further research within the field of organisational effectiveness around the ways in which crises can be incubated as part of the normal processes around effective working.

Sweeping it under the carpet: the role of legislators in corrupt practice in Nigeria

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 354-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olatunde Julius Otusanya ◽  
Sarah Lauwo ◽  
Oluwaseun Joseph Ige ◽  
Olunlade Samuel Adelaja
Keyword(s):  
Dark Side ◽  
Major Influence ◽  
Legislative Process ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
Institutional Structures ◽  
Democratic System ◽  
Financial Practices ◽  
Transparency And Accountability

Purpose – This study aims to contribute to the emerging discourse on elite financial crime, with particular attention devoted to the role played by the legislature in corrupt practices in Nigeria. Separations of power, watchdog role of legislature and ideologies have become a major influence in democratic system. Legislative power has developed as a means of providing oversight functions over the executives, thereby inhibiting fraudulent practices in governments. Design/methodology/approach – The paper argues that the political institutional structures embedded with monopoly, discretion and little or no accountability facilitate financial corrupt practices within the legislature. The paper uses publicly available evidence to show that the legislators in developing countries are actively engaged in corrupt practices. Findings – The evidence provided in this paper shows that separation of power and representative democracy had not brought about transparency and accountability in government activities in Nigeria. Legislature often trade-off their constitutional power and their claim of service to the public interest by engaging in financial criminal practices. Research limitations/implications – This paper does not set out to provide a comprehensive analysis of political corruption. Instead, it considers the “dark” side of legislative practice by examining the involvement of legislature in facilitating corrupt financial practices in Nigeria. Practical implications – The inability of the regulators to effectively sanction legislators implicated in corrupt practices suggests that the current institutional and regulatory apparatus are not fully equipped in dealing with the financial criminal activities of legislators. Social implications – Despite the arrest and prosecution of some legislators, a number of cases are swept under the carpet. Therefore, this paper suggests that Nigeria need to reform its political system and institutions to promote transparency and accountability in government and to build trust in the legislative process. Originality/value – This paper considers the “dark” side of legislative practice by examining the involvement of legislature in facilitating corrupt financial practices in Nigeria.

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