Luke Naismith, who I know from the Act-KM mailing list, has set up a brand new blog, Knowledge Futures. And his first post is based on something he presented at a conference and posted to the mailing list, Infoluenza:
I define infoluenza as:
- The frustrated, overwhelmed and unfulfilled feeling that results from continued efforts to broaden information or knowledge management systems.
- An epidemic of confusion, vendor hype, paralysis by analysis, and suspect decision-making caused by dogged pursuit of a Technology Nirvana.
- An unsustainable addiction to incorporating more and more information.
... Information is not the problem, but infoluenza - a disease of not being able to understand the limitations of deriving contentment from content alone.
This idea goes beyond strict information overload and suggests a group psychology that prevents us, as a society, from stopping and thinking about what we are doing and why.
Do you and your organization suffer from this malady? There is a cure.