I recently came across this blog entry: Career blogger Toni Bowers cites a new report that claims 2008 to be the year of information overload, and your familiar Reply All button is one of the biggest contributors to lowered productivity. Toni writes, "You should resist the lure of the Reply All siren. Because if you don't, the group then has to read 29 other responses like 'Sure does!' and 'Thanks for sharing!'"
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but "information overload" has been with us for years now! I agree that the "Reply All" button has been misused by many email users. But information overload is not limited to excessive email — it is everywhere! Drive on any road in the USA and you are bombarded by information from billboards and ads on just about every object including other cars. And if you are driving and listening to the radio, then you are being assaulted by commercials there too! And information overload is present in our mail boxes, our web browsers, stores, and nearly everything we do. It is rather maddening if you stop to think about it — and perhaps we should not stop to do just that or risk our mental health!
I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but "information overload" has been with us for years now! I agree that the "Reply All" button has been misused by many email users. But information overload is not limited to excessive email — it is everywhere! Drive on any road in the USA and you are bombarded by information from billboards and ads on just about every object including other cars. And if you are driving and listening to the radio, then you are being assaulted by commercials there too! And information overload is present in our mail boxes, our web browsers, stores, and nearly everything we do. It is rather maddening if you stop to think about it — and perhaps we should not stop to do just that or risk our mental health!
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