Information pollution

[3] Information pollution generally applies to digital communication, such as e-mail, instant messaging (IM), and social media.

[4] As early as 1971 researchers were expressing doubts about the negative effects of having to recover "valuable nodules from a slurry of garbage in which it is a randomly dispersed minor component.

Cognitive studies demonstrated human beings can process only limited information before the quality of their decisions begins to deteriorate.

Anything that distracts attention from the essential facts required to perform a task or make a decision could be considered an information pollutant.

[3][7][8] Some authors claim that information overload is a crisis of global proportions, on the same scale as threats faced by environmental destruction.

[8] The publishing and marketing industries have become used to printing many copies of books, magazines, and brochures regardless of customer demand, just in case they are needed.

For example, e-mail is likely to cause more information pollution in a corporate setting,[11] whereas mobile phones are likely to be particularly disruptive in a confined space shared by multiple people, such as a train carriage.

At a personal level, information pollution affects individuals' capacity to evaluate options and find adequate solutions.

[14] This argument may explain the indifferent attitude that society shows toward topics such as scientific discoveries, health warnings, or politics.

This leads to delayed or flawed decisions, which can translate into loss of productivity and revenue as well as an increased risk of critical errors.