Abstract
The author explores the concept of ‘information anorexia’ – the idea that one may not be receiving the essential information one needs to be an effective information professional. In the article, the author outlines a construct of information anorexia and its causes, illustrates some factors that might lead to information anorexia, and puts forth some thoughts and practices on coping with it in the professional and personal realm.
Keywords
Introduction
In 2012, I published an article in Business Information Review discussing ‘information obesity’ – an analogy to the condition of physical obesity in its causes, development, and ill effects (Brown, 2012). In this article, I entertain the concept of ‘information anorexia’ in the realm of information intake – the idea that one may not be receiving the essential information one needs to be an effective information professional. I outline a construct of information anorexia and its causes, illustrate some factors that might make us prone to information anorexia, and put forth some thoughts and practices on coping with it in our professional lives and the role of curiosity.
What is information anorexia?
Exploring the concept of information obesity in 2012 led me to analogies and concepts related to medical conditions and psychotherapy. Whilst the concept of information obesity, applied to information and information work, isn’t necessarily intuitive, it did help to identify and understand potentially detrimental behaviors related to information in a unique way.
Since then, I’ve entertained the idea of information anorexia – as I conceptualize it, an ongoing tendency to purposely not take in information, to restrict one’s information intake at the expense of one’s own informational health, so to speak.
In reviewing the literature, the specific concept of information anorexia does not seem to currently exist – so I understand I’m venturing into uncharted territory. Before I begin to explore this topic, I want to emphasize that, similar to my approach in outlining information obesity, my purpose is in no way to trivialize or disrespect the seriousness and gravity of the condition of anorexia nervosa nor those who suffer from it. In conceptualizing and exploring this analogy, I am simply attempting to make sense of a phenomenon that may be more hidden in our profession.
That said, I find it helpful to start with the medical definition. One definition of anorexia nervosa (commonly referred to as simply anorexia) from the Mayo Clinic describes the condition as follows: Anorexia (an-o-REK-see-uh) nervosa … is an eating disorder characterized by an abnormally low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and a distorted perception of body weight. People with anorexia place a high value on controlling their weight and shape, using extreme efforts that tend to significantly interfere with activities in their lives. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014a) severely restricting food intake; preoccupation with food; and refusal to eat
The Mayo Clinic identifies ‘red flags’ such as: skipping meals; making excuses for not eating; eating only a few certain “safe” foods; and cooking elaborate meals for others but refusing to eat. (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014b)
The analogy I wish to draw here is in the relationship to food. If we generally substitute the word ‘food’ with ‘information’, an analogy starts to emerge: severely restricting information intake; preoccupation with information; refusal to take in information; skipping ‘meals’ (opportunities for new information); making excuses for not taking in information; consuming only a few certain safe sources; and serving up elaborate sets of information for others but refusing to take in information.
Specific to information professionals, I would add the following descriptors: lack of variety in one’s sources of information; having access to a lot of information, but not necessarily considering oneself an expert in that topic and staying “stuck” in sources that one has used and relied on for years.
One scenario may play out as follows. As information professionals (and particularly business information professionals), we are awash with information – the good, the bad, the reliable, the unreliable, and the ‘fluffy’, just to characterize a few. We work with massive amounts of information every day, and we are certainly ‘preoccupied’ with information, which is a necessary part of our work. One way to deal with this situation, which I feel I see regularly, is to simply shut off, or drastically reduce, the incoming stream – even from those sources that provide quality information or information of interest.
We may not do this for our clients, but we may do this in our own information consumption. In this way, we embody one of the conditions – serving up elaborate sets of information for others but refusing to take in information (or restricting our intake). Another way that this manifests is in information professionals not recognizing themselves as experts, even if they’ve been doing research in the field for years.
Another scenario may be that one has relied on the same sources for extended periods of time. Information professionals can get stuck on certain reliable sources – The New York Times or BBC News, just to cite two examples – as their ‘go-to’ sources. While these resources clearly provide quality, vetted information, there is still an issue if one relies on, for example, only National Public Radio (NPR), a more liberal source, and never reads perspectives from National Review, a more conservative source. This can give the information professional the skewed perspective that ‘everyone agrees with me’, and one’s point of view is reflected in almost every source one takes in.
Does this ‘condition’ really exist? I believe it does. Ask yourself – have you ever: Simply deleted e-mails from sources that you would normally read? Felt extremely overwhelmed with the amount of information coming at you? Felt like there is too much ‘negative’ information these days and wanted to shut that off? Alternatively, have you felt like you get similar perspectives on important issues from all of your sources?
Even if one doesn’t fully ‘buy in’ to the concept of information anorexia, I believe it is helpful in checking ourselves in our information assumptions and behaviors.
What causes information anorexia?
As I’ve outlined, the primary manifestation of information anorexia is a reduction of the intake of information – particularly critical information for our work and our lives. What might be the causes of this behavior?
I believe the behaviors of information anorexia have roots in feelings of overwhelm and need for control in the midst of chaos.
The reasons for restricting the amount of information taken in can be many and can exist to varying degrees. To some extent, language from the medical and psychotherapy worlds can help describe causes (some of which may co-occur):
Chronic lack of time: Regularly not having time to read and assimilate the information that one wants or needs to read. This can take the form of deleting e-mails from sources to which one subscribes or having stacks of magazines or books one wants to ‘get to someday’. The duration of this condition can vary, and sometimes a lack of time may happen over a week, and in some cases, over years.
Information overload or fatigue: While this can seem very similar to a chronic lack of time, I distinguish this from lack of time by the volume of incoming information. In information overload or fatigue, the information professional simply has too much information coming in – more than can possibly be consumed.
Feelings of overwhelm and, in some cases, traumatization: This cause is more related to the content of the information. Similar to working in emergency services, one can be constantly bombarded by negative information and intense periods of activity. Information professionals working in fields such as financial services, law, and other fast-paced, high-stakes settings can feel particularly overwhelmed. That said, information professionals in all fields can be subject to overwhelm and traumatization. In a world where news of the latest horrific tragedy from all corners of the world is available almost instantaneously, it can be increasingly difficult to maintain a balanced and sane approach to the intake of information – and to want to continue to take in that type of information.
Very reasonably, the reaction to any and all of these experiences can be to simply want to ‘tune out’, to cut off the source of the overwhelm, anxiety, concern, shock, disgust, and so on. Oftentimes, simply stopping taking in information is a quick and easy way to ease some of the distress. In addition to easing the distress, taking things ‘off of one’s plate’ can restore a sense of control to the situation.
A related cause of information anorexia is simply due to the energy required to take in, and make sense of, opposing viewpoints. As we build our network of trusted sources, we lean toward sources that ‘make sense’ to us and that fit our sensibilities. This is a natural thing to do; at the same time, I believe that, as information professionals, we need to be able to regularly understand and assimilate opposing viewpoints. However, this takes a significant amount of extra energy. In a time-strapped world, it’s much easier to simply stay with what we know rather than seek out different perspectives.
Finally, information anorexia can emerge as a reaction to information obesity. Information anorexia is not necessarily the opposite of information obesity. In my article on that topic (Brown, 2012), I outlined a condition where one uncritically consumes, and attempts to assimilate, large portions of available information, with little discrimination. I also described some balanced approaches to dealing with information obesity. That said, one unbalanced approach to dealing with taking in too much information, of course, is to swing the opposite way and to severely restrict one’s information intake.
Please refer to my 2012 article for more detail on information obesity (Brown, 2012).
Dealing with information anorexia
As information professionals, I think it is uniquely difficult to recognize, and sometimes equally difficult to rectify, the behaviors of information anorexia in ourselves. Whether or not these behaviors describe you, or whether this is a condition as described, I think it good practice to observe ourselves and to continue to strive for excellence in our information intake and in our practice.
If you feel that some of the behaviors of information anorexia describe you, here are some thoughts around bringing some balance.
Be OK with what you’re consuming right now
If you suspect that you may be limiting yourself, try to observe the behavior rather than judge it. While you likely will be curious about the reasons for your behavior (or may even know those reasons), the reasons aren’t as important as recognizing the behavior and choosing how you would like to work with it.
The first step in choosing to work with it is accepting what you are currently consuming. You may decide that your current state is just fine, and you may also decide that you want to change it. If you do decide to change, go slowly. Observe your behaviors. For example, do you have stacks of reading material by your bed? Are you deleting e-mails? Do you feel overwhelmed by certain topics? This isn’t about throwing open the floodgates of information again, but this is about observing your current behavior and easing yourself into new habits that support your work and your life.
In terms of information, when you feed yourself, feed yourself well; don’t just add to your plate
This concept dovetails well with the concept of dealing with information obesity. Rather than just starting to feed yourself with whatever information comes along next, choose sources that have held you in good stead previously – or ones that you have been curious to explore. You may also ask other information professionals for recommendations of their top sources.
Many information professionals can name several fine sources for their areas of expertise. For your work, understanding and approaching these sources from a fresh perspective can help you to begin to ‘feed yourself well’ again. To use myself as an example, in the tech field, I have a lot of sources that I regularly use right now. However, I also understand that I’m missing coverage from some key sources: TechCrunch and Mashable, for example. Part of rebalancing my information diet is not to simply add these to my plate but to look at all of my sources and select from those to create an intake and information level that will work for me.
For my personal reading, this approach is helpful as well. Publications like the New Yorker are typically good, but the frequency of publication (weekly) often is too much for me to assimilate. I’ve also recently added a source, Aeon, which broadens my reading topics and challenges my thinking in different ways (a point I’ll touch on next). The key point here, though, is to go slowly and not to overwhelm yourself again.
As you feel comfortable with your intake, sample outside of your comfort zone and traditional areas of focus
In other words, eat a balanced information meal and find those sources that challenge your thinking. This can be one of the most rejuvenating aspects of dealing with information anorexia. It can be exhilarating to begin to explore a new source of information. It also takes energy and focus to take in information outside of our ‘usual’ areas of practice and thought. However, when we’re not in a place of feeling overwhelmed and strapped for time, this practice can be a true growth area, both personally and professionally.
It can be difficult and time-consuming to actively search out information and opinions outside of our usual sources. In an organization, competitive intelligence practitioners know that they are in the sometimes unenviable position of putting forth viewpoints that clash with the perception that the organization has of itself. Those practitioners also know that it’s critical that they provide that role. I believe that all information practitioners and researchers should actively seek out divergent opinions and information in order to provide a balanced informational view.
Final thoughts
One of the things that keeps me engaged with my work, and ultimately helps keep me balanced when I am feeling overwhelmed, is an approach of curiosity. When one is overwhelmed, time constrained, and experiencing some of the behaviors of information anorexia, curiosity can feel like an unattainable luxury. Yet, speaking from my own experience, it is critically important to stay open to curiosity. In the conceptualization of information anorexia, curiosity is the life-sustaining hunger for information, meaning, and growth.
While the debate may still be on about whether Google really still allows its workers 20 percent of their time for innovation and creative ideas (D’Onofro, 2015), the concept of holding space for innovation and curiosity in our professional lives continues to resonate. Staying curious – and creating the space and time we need for curiosity – is an enriching way to keep fresh and vital information coming into our lives, professionally and personally. For those information professionals who are lifelong learners, curiosity is the gateway to engagement and to a healthy and balanced approach to information.
Footnotes
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.