information overload

American  

noun

Psychology.

1. an excess of incoming information, as might confront a pedestrian on a crowded city street, that forces one to be selective in the information received and retained.

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Example Sentences

Daniel says the lyrics address the difficulties of making decisions in an era of information overload – which explains his inability to pick an analogy and stick to it.

From BBC • May 8, 2026

To avoid information overload, our disclosure regime is most effective when the SEC provides the minimum effective dose of regulation.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 2, 2025

In ‘The Age of Magical Overthinking,’ Amanda Montell observes how information overload and online culture has hijacked our brain’s hard-wired vulnerabilities.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 16, 2024

And so I just really wanted to explore how this era of information overload is colliding with these mental shortcuts that we've been taking since the dawn of the human species.

From Salon • Apr. 9, 2024

Never has the information overload been so obvious as when one tries to find information on a topic by searching the Internet.

From Interviews (1998-2001) by Lebert, Marie