The radio never stops, the TV is always on, the messages come one after the other… Some of us are constantly absorbing streams of information. What is it, the fear of missing something important? Need to know everything? Where does this unquenchable thirst come from?
Serafima, 31 years old, translator
“I left the radio on all night. Andrei, my friend, gave me an ultimatum: either he or Ekho Moskvy. At that time, I had just left the news agency, where every 10-15 seconds news from all over the world arrived on my computer. I had the feeling that I was in a vacuum, and with all my might I began to try to fill it. Nevertheless, I was able to understand that there are enough interesting events in my own life! And turned off the radio.
“At home, my TV is always on. When I go on vacation, I make sure that the hotel has Internet, – says 27-year-old bank employee Elvira. – Politics, finances, events, people – it’s so exciting! I keep my finger on the pulse of the whole world. Refuse it? But why?”
I need a sense of security. “Many people protect themselves from loneliness with information,” explains cognitive psychologist Maria Falikman. “Communication in social networks, reading friend tapes, like turning on the TV or radio, they create a background, allow you to feel that “there is life”, that we are not alone.” For some of us, only a certain type of information is important, with the help of which we confirm our involvement in the group, the significance of our opinion, or simply “votes” (for example, in popular “vote balls”).” Regular reading of a newspaper (at least “Sport”) serves the same purposes: we include ourselves in the community of readers, athletes… “enough” information, then you can make a more accurate decision, insure yourself against possible troubles. However, the real problem is not recognized, but muffled. And as a result, there is an obsessive need for information. As with any addiction, first the suspense, the elated joy, then the disappointment and hunger… The periods of this cycle are getting shorter and faster thanks to the tools of Google or Twitter.
I need to know everything. “In themselves, the means of transmission of information – radio, telephone, Internet – of course, are not drugs,” says psychotherapist Patrick Lemoine. “The fear of not being up to par, of losing the attention of others based on our awareness is dangerous, because this fear hides a painful self-doubt.” But everything is happening too fast: informational messages have become complex and very fluid. And we simply do not have time to draw conclusions from them. We swallow them at once, with all the incoherence and contradictions. “This dissatisfaction maintains a hypnotic state of heightened alertness,” says Patrick Lemoine. “But, like King Herod watching the dance of Salome, we are not destined to be satisfied. Salome takes off the seven veils one by one, but her secret still remains hidden. The information theater can be as mesmerizing as it can be fruitless for the search for our personal truth.
What to do?
admit the problem
Does the addiction to the information flow harm our relationship with the surrounding reality? Are we able to stop and still remain calm? If it turns out that this is impossible or difficult for us, Maria Falikman recommends “honestly admitting that we have such a problem. This is the first step towards solving it. And then – try to understand what real need we are replacing with information “gluttony”, and think about how to satisfy it. Do we have someone to be friends with and someone to love? Of what we have created we can be proud of, for which we are respected by others? What are our plans, what would we like to implement in the future? These questions will help guide your thinking.
Arrange silence
We receive so much information that we have no time to analyze and draw conclusions. “The best antidote is boredom,” says Patrick Lemoine. From time to time it is worthwhile to arrange silence, to think about what is happening, to realize the connection between events. Second tip: “Read magazines. Unlike radio, television and the Internet, printed texts do not impose their own rhythm, on the contrary, they allow thoughts to develop, and consciousness to assimilate what they read.