The phrase "information overload" was popularized by Alvin Toffler in 1970. "Information overload" is one of the biggest irritations in modern life. There are e-mails to answer, virtual friends to pester, YouTube videos to watch and, back in the physical world, meetings to attend, papers to shuffle, and spouses to appease. A survey by Reuters once found that two-thirds of managers believe that the data deluge has made their jobs less satisfying or hurt their personal relationships. One-third think that it has damaged their health. Another survey suggests that most managers think most of the information they receive is useless.

Commentators have coined a profusion of phrases to describe the anxiety and anomie caused by too much information: "data asphyxiation" (William van Winkle), "data smog" (David Shenk), "information fatigue syndrome" (David Lewis), "cognitive overload" (Eric Schmidt) and "time famine" (Leslie Perlow). Johann Hari, a British journalist, notes that there is a good reason why "wired" means both "connected to the internet" and "high, frantic, unable to concentrate."