Information Overload

Like me, I’m sure you remember there was life before we all got connected electronically. In those days, when we had a problem whether it be a sore arm or a pimple on the nose, we did not panic. We waited to see if it would go away by itself before making a medical appointment.

            Now that we live in a world of information overload, when people have some sort of problem, they “consult” the Internet because, after all, that’s where they can find the answers they seek. A pimple at the end of your nose? Search deep enough into the bowels of the Internet and you might be told it’s a sign of leprosy or the plague. And what can you do about it? Well, you will learn that certain herbal mixtures can miraculously make that pimple disappear. And you simply cannot afford not to order those herbs gathered on the top of some far-away mountain because they are the newest medical revolution doctors don’t want you to know.

            I jest, of course, but there is some measure of truth in my comments. I don’t know about your doctor, but my doctor gets a little irritated when I tell him that I went on the Internet to get information about a particular problem. He wants to know exactly what sites I read. And well he should, because today’s information overload means more work for him to debunk much of the self-diagnoses of his patients.

            And for those of us who always fear the worse when faced with a medical problem, and for those of us who are only borderline hypochondriacs, reading about medical problems on the Internet can, simply put, drive us bonkers. There are many dire medical problems in the world, but that doesn’t mean that you have them all, no matter if you feel you have all the symptoms as you read the list.

            I admit that my computer is a source of information when it comes to certain medical problems, but I confine myself to reputable sites and stay away from those who try to sell all sorts of “miraculous” cures for all sorts of ailments. 

            Living in an era of information is great because we are all better informed than we were just a couple of decades ago. We touch a screen and we can read all about what is of interest at a particular moment. The idea is to not get bogged down in a pit of information overload.