Which statement best describes information overload?

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Information overload occurs when you’re faced with so much information that deciding becomes harder. Our brains have limited attention and working memory, so a flood of sources, data, and claims can slow you down or lead to poorer choices. The best description is that it’s a state of having too much information that can hinder decision making, and it also points to practical ways to cope: narrowing the question to a specific focus, using advanced search to target relevant material, applying filters to remove noise, evaluating sources for quality and reliability, and organizing results so you can compare options clearly.

Descriptions that talk about not having enough information describe a different problem—information scarcity or absence, which causes uncertainty for sure but is not information overload. Similarly, collecting more sources without assessing quality adds to the volume without improving signal, making overload worse rather than better. Understanding this helps you approach research with a plan: define a clear question, manage the amount of material you review, and organize what you find to support confident decisions.