Abstract

The sharp leap in science and technology has given rise to a new state of human civilization, described as the 'information society.' Alongside the benefits of the unceasing flow of information exchanged through total communication, the negative consequences of 'information overload' have increasingly become apparent — both at the organizational and individual levels. Since it is not possible for the individual to self-isolate from this process, two options remain available: to develop automated protective mechanisms in the psyche, and/or to apply volitional effort in selecting the amount of information processed by consciousness. Insofar as individuals are not identical, signs of a watershed are already clearly visible between the group of people who are able to exercise tighter control in the communication process and the group of those who succumb to the temptation to absorb information uncritically. Could this lead to a new principle of stratification in society?