Max-Weber winner warns: So we stop the digital distraction!

Max-Weber winner warns: So we stop the digital distraction!

Erlangen, Deutschland - On January 29, 2025, Dr. Kyra Göbel from the Chair of Psychology in Working Life at the Friedrich Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg awarded the Max Weber Prize of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences. Your research deals intensively with the handling of people with the flood of information, which is reinforced by the Internet and digitization. Dr. Göbel emphasizes that goal-oriented work is increasingly made more difficult by distractions that can be both self and external cause. Social media in particular contribute to distraction in terms of students who often use their cell phone for distraction when learning.

The challenges associated with the flood of information are alarming. According to an investigation that deals with the modern world, many people suffer from the rapidly changing information in different forms, which affects thinking and concentration. The digital information society in which we live leads to a dependency on digital data and algorithms that overwhelm the cognitive skills of the users and appear as a stress factor. Critics also warn of the negative effects of digital technologies, especially with regard to the ability to concentrate.

strategies to improve concentration

dr. Göbel emphasizes that concentration can be learned and recommends concrete measures to improve. This includes the determination of tasks and time windows. She herself uses personal strategies such as attaching a "not disturbing" sign and the visual introduction of distractions that she pushes away. The learning of media literacy plays a crucial role in order to better regulate dealing with the flood of information.

The comprehensive effects of the flood of information indicate a cognitive overload that not only affects individual learning, but can also interfere with social processes. Scientists warn that the overflowing of stimulus causes decisions by digital information and can even lead to a withdrawal from social contacts. Experts therefore speak of a "data mog" that is compared to pollution. A possible solution could be the introduction of a "clean information act" to counteract information pollution, as well as legal and economic measures.

social context

The digital flood of information not only has personal, but also in the entire social effects. While the modern world is characterized by information overflowing, critics refer to the responsibility of each individual to deal with these challenges. It is increasingly required that governments actively act against the flood of information and reform areas such as education to promote digital literality.

For more information about Dr. Göbels Research and the Max-Weber Prize Visit fau . You can find the extensive analysis of the information situation in Openedition . In addition, there is an interesting discussion about the harmful effects of the digital flood of information at Scinews