It’s no secret that we live in a vast digital age, where we have access to the entire world and a multitude of information. But here’s the big question: is what we acquire online becoming knowledge, or is it merely information? Are we truly gaining something while we’re online?
First, we need to understand the difference between knowledge and information. Knowledge is relevant information applied to make decisions or draw conclusions; it’s a state of understanding obtained through the comprehension of ideas, study, and skills. While information helps create knowledge, knowledge itself requires deeper insight and isn’t as easy to acquire. Information, on the other hand, refers to structured, organized, and processed data—facts or details about a topic presented in a way that gives them meaning, like social media videos or posts. Information can be superficial or fragmented and doesn’t necessarily offer a deep understanding.
Now that we know how to distinguish information from knowledge, we can see that knowledge tends to be long-lasting, while information usually becomes fleeting. As mentioned, information often appears in contexts that give it meaning and importance. With this in mind, another assertion is that time spent on social media with massive media content may become nothing more than temporary information in our minds, often leaving no lasting impact. Consuming large amounts of information without depth, critical thinking, or reflection can lead to a shallow and superficial understanding of topics, contributing to what’s known as cognitive overload.
Cognitive overload happens when the amount of information a person has to process exceeds their working memory’s capacity. This "temporary memory" stores essential information needed to complete tasks, like a mental to-do list or a step-by-step problem-solving sequence. However, this memory has limitations. The internet bombards us with a constant flow of processed data—notifications, news headlines, social media updates, and videos, from short to long—that fragments our attention and overwhelms our working memory. This makes it difficult to transfer information from short-term to long-term memory, where it can be consolidated into knowledge. Consequently, it impairs our attention span, decision-making ability, and learning capacity.
The current state of social media—all platforms—fosters a system in which algorithms prioritize engagement, entertainment, and novelty over depth and analysis. This leads us to consume more while retaining less. Constant scrolling and task-switching deprive us of engaging in the deeper learning processes that transform information into knowledge. Additionally, much of what we see and read is often information, not knowledge, as we may not even spend a full minute reading it. This massive amount of content, consumed for hours each day, adversely affects essential mental functions like learning ability.
So, the question arises: how can we reduce the impact of social media on our minds? How can we lessen cognitive overload? There may not be a solution to eliminate it completely, but we can reduce it by implementing a few simple practices in our daily lives:
- Focus on one task at a time. Today, we’re often under the illusion that doing more in less time optimizes our day and increases productivity. However, here’s some news: this isn’t entirely true. Acting this way will only overload your working memory. I suggest setting aside specific time for each activity, avoiding switching between multiple tasks.
- Prioritize depth over breadth. Instead of trying to absorb as much information as possible, focus on mastering specific topics and gaining knowledge about them. This will help consolidate your knowledge and encourage deeper learning.
- Engage in active learning environments, like taking notes, asking questions, summarizing what you’ve learned, or teaching it to someone else. This will help your brain better retain information and turn it into learning. Don’t forget to apply what you’ve learned in different contexts and reflect on it to reinforce your understanding.
- Reduce your social media time. I know it’s difficult, but instead of spending 7 hours on TikTok, try to limit it to 3 hours. It’s a small but significant change for your attention span and learning, putting less strain on your mind. Remember, small changes can move mountains.
Cognitive overload is practically unavoidable in the human mind, especially in this modern, digital age that amplifies it. Information flows continuously, and attention is fragmented. Achieving knowledge requires intentional effort and practice. By becoming mindful of how we spend our time, what we consume, and how we engage with it, we can deepen our learning and navigate the digital landscape with greater awareness. As we apply these strategies, its impact will be much smaller, and your quality of life will improve! We not only reduce cognitive overload but also cultivate a more meaningful relationship with the information we encounter. This ultimately allows us to turn fleeting information into lasting knowledge.
