Information Overflow: A Systematic Review of the Studies in Iran and the World

The current study is a systematic review about information overflow, that was conducted with the aim of identifying the status of researches conducted in this field, determining research gaps and the components and sub-components of interests, research methodology, and challenges and solutions related to the information overflow of studies.

A systematic review was carried out using all articles published (until January 2022) in Persian and English indexed in electronic databases. First, the inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined. Then, of the 72 retrieved articles, 20 articles were eligible for analysis. Data were recorded on a checklist based on PRISMA  Model.

The most frequent components of information overflow include the followings: the effective factor in creating information overflow, individual factor, effective instrumental factor in controlling information overflow, effective environmental factors in solving information overflow, solutions for adjusting information overflow, influence of information overflow on users, and technological infrastructures. The challenges of information overflow in other countries included disappointment, fatigue, stress, feeling flustered, physical and mental pressure, technological overload, confusion, and regret. The challenges in Iran included organizational limitations, human limitations, reluctance to disclose information, complexity of organizations, unoffical and decentralized organizations (50%). The solutions and suggestions presented in the articles included proper management of information overload, value engineering, information control, information and communication technology skills training, and appropriate architecture.

By reviewing the researches on information overflow, the results were identified in terms of factors affecting information overflow, existing challenges, and possible solutions. Researchers working in Information Science and Knowledge, software engineers, etc., can be more successful in web-based projects by being aware of the issues raised in this research.