What is infobesity?

Infobesity refers to excessive consumption of information. The individual spends many hours consuming information related to a situation that generates anxiety. The individual's goal is to try to regain a little more control over the situation. Unfortunately, in a situation like the one we are currently experiencing, uncertainty will remain significant even if we know everything there is to know about the subject.

This means of control is often used by individuals who suffer from hypochondria. Seeking out information gives a sense of control. And this is really the case for important information. However, consuming too much information will have the opposite effect, that is to prevent us from learning to tolerate uncertainty , an uncertainty that objectively exists and that we cannot get rid of.

Control your consumption

Infobesity will cause anxiety surges , a feeling of discouragement , irritability , a feeling of being overwhelmed by the situation. It can also have a direct impact on our nights of sleep and cause insomnia and nightmares .

A good strategy to use to control your information consumption is to target a single reliable and time-defined source of information and only consume the information that comes from it. For example, reading the newspaper in the morning and listening to the Prime Minister's press briefing at 1 p.m.

Beware of conspiracy theories

Conspiracy theories are also part of the problems related to the media. Despite their often completely far-fetched appearance for experts, they allow an explanation, often absurd, of an unknown phenomenon. They allow to give the illusion of control over an uncertain situation. Be careful, these beliefs also have a perverse effect, namely to undermine the individual's confidence in his environment and institutions.