Creative Information Work Module 3 Information hygiene
Information hygiene
Key concepts
Addiction to Internet applications - a behaviour disorder leading to an uncontrolled use of
these applications.
Information overload - a condition in which there is too much information available.
Spam - a junk message sent to discussion groups or e-mail addresses.
Contents
1. Addiction to Internet applications
1.1 Types of addiction to Internet applications
1.2 Symptoms and negative impacts of addictive behaviour
1.3 Methods of addictive behaviour prevention
2. Safety in social networks
2.1 Rules of safe behaviour in social networks
2.2 Netiquette - rules of behaviour in social networks
3. Information overload
3.1 Information overload prevention methods
3.2 E-mail
Creative Information Work Module 3 Information hygiene
1. Addiction to Internet applications
Modern information and communication technologies and the Internet have many advantages;
however, there are possible hidden risks in them as well. A person may get so interested in
their use that they are no longer capable of a rational control of their behaviour, which has a
negative impact on their daily life. Without doubt, everyone has experienced interest in an
Internet application, be it a social network or a game. In this chapter you will learn to recognize
possible addictive behaviour and to prevent it, since anyone can become addicted and
prevention is thus the most important thing.
Addiction to Internet applications is considered a behaviour disorder leading to an
uncontrolled and harmful use of these technologies. Addicts prefer such activities to an
involvement in the real life, which causes problems within their families and at work.
To draw a line between a hobby, an increased interest and an addiction is difficult
partly because people become mentally addicted to computers, not physically.
1.1 Types of addiction to Internet applications
Among typical examples of addictive behaviour are the following:
• Excessive playing of PC games.
• An excessive amount of time spent on Internet communication.
• An excessive amount of time spent on Internet pornography.
• Internet gambling.
• An excessive tendency towards shopping online, taking part in Internet auctions etc.
• An excessive acquisition of unnecessary information - pointless surfing, data
downloading.
• An excessive amount of time spent on working - even during one’s days off or holidays,
e.g. checking the corporate e-mail.
In the picture we can see Grohol’s model of pathological Internet use.
Using new technologies begins with a fascination
with the possibilities they offer. This fascination
naturally decreases in time and one starts to use
the given application in a balanced way. However,
in case the user does not get over the period of
fascination and, on the contrary, the intensity of
use increases, we may speak of addictive
behaviour.
New online user, existing online user. New online
activities. Phase 1 - Fascination (obsession). Phase 2
- Disillusionment (avoidance). Phase 3 - Balance
(normal use).
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A typical example of addiction may be a young man named Tom.
• Tom does not have many friends and is not particularly physically fit.
• Though nobody knows, Tom has one more identity in the virtual environment
of an online game. His name there is Wolfhound and he is a brave fabled hero.
• He is well-received and respected by the virtual community and has many friends.
• In that environment he feels good and spends as much time there as possible.
• His virtual identity has become a reflection of his true wishes and ideas.
1.2 Symptoms and negative impacts of addictive behaviour
If most of the below-mentioned symptoms occur for more than 3 months and the time spent
online is 6 hours per day and longer, we may speak of addictive behaviour.
You show symptoms of addictive behaviour if you:
• often think of computer activities,
• have failed to reduce the amount of time spent online,
• are restless or depressed whenever you reduce the amount of time spent online,
• usually spend more time online than you originally intended,
• can feel negative impacts of the amount of time spent online on the real relationships or
work,
• have ever lied about the amount of time spent online,
• see your computer as a way to escape your problems.
Among other symptoms are euphoria when one is engaged in computer and online activities,
neglecting friends or family, lack of sleep because of online activities etc. We can say that
addiction begins when one’s computer activity serves exclusively to satisfy one’s interests, and
the time spent online has a negative impact on daily life.
An overuse of the computer may have a negative impact on human body. The risks can be
divided into three basic categories.
The number of hours spent on the computer is
not a relevant way of assessing a possible
addiction. If you spend long hours studying or
working on your computer, there is no reason
to fear addiction (beware of workaholism
though).
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Physical Mental Social
Backache, arthrodynia, eye pain Bad time management Worsening of interpersonal
relations
Neglecting one’s own body Worsened progress at school A decrease in the number of real
friends
Lack of sleep Worsened progress at work A risk of cybernetic bullying
Irregular eating A possible increase in
aggressiveness
A risk of personal data misuse
Lack of physical exercise A risk of alcohol and drug abuse Property crime on Internet
1.3 Methods of addictive behaviour prevention
There is no need to apply all of the following methods and recommendations for preventing
addictive behaviour at once. It is up to you what will inspire you and what you will use. Based
on the following points, think about your relationship to computers. An important method of
addiction prevention is to limit your access and time spent on your computer. Before you start
working, write down a list of tasks; this will help you work faster and more effectively.
• Carry on activities different from computers, e.g. sports.
• Remind yourselves of negative impacts of a computer overuse (e.g. backache).
• Try to spend some time without your computer.
• If you start thinking of online activities, be passive and forget them.
• Work offline.
• Limit the amount of time you spend online - set an alarm clock.
• Set an alarm clock, so you know when to leave.
You should not work on your computer unless all more important duties are done, e.g. your
studies, work, family. An advisable limit is a maximum of 2 hours a day for adults and
teenagers, and 1 hour a day for children.
An example of a limited amount of time spent on the computer:
• A 7-year-old child is allowed to spend 1.5 h online on Saturdays and Sundays.
• A 15-year-old teenager is allowed 1 hour a day after they do their homework and
complete all other duties. On weekends, it is possible to allow 2 hours a day.
• A 20-year-old student may go online in the evening after he/she has studied, e.g. from
10 p.m. to 11.30 p.m.
• A married person with children may spend 1 hour online each evening when the
children are asleep.
2. Safety in social networks
Social networks are online services which enable you to create a public or a semi-public profile.
You can look at other users’ profiles, share information and interact in various ways (e.g. chats,
discussion groups). Nowadays social networks are developing fast and come into existence for
a number of reasons, e.g. interests, work, religion. They bring many positive aspects into
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interpersonal communication; however, there are hidden risks in them as well. In this chapter
we will deal with the principles of safe behaviour in social networks.
Social networks present 3 basic risks:
• One may become addicted to social networks.
• Social networks may become a source of information overload (too much information).
• One’s personal data may be misused.
Social networks have brought the trend of anonymity loss, i.e. publishing personal data,
photos, videos etc. under real names. Information published in such a way may be misused. It is
advisable to observe the basic rules of safe behaviour and protect personal data against
misuse.
Information which is the most frequent target of misuse:
• Your access passwords
• Your bank account data. Credit card numbers.
• Your e-mail address where people may send spams.
• Information stored in your computer.
2.1 Rules of safe behaviour in social networks
Consider the circumstances under which you will give your personal data. Common sense and
caution are the most powerful tools of protection. Try to follow basic rules in social networks:
• If possible, do not give away your full name and surname. Use a nick or an abbreviation.
Do not enter the date and place of your birth.
• Do not give away your address, phone number, e-mail or information about your family.
• While registering for internet services, use an e-mail address specifically intended for
this purpose.
• Create complicated access passwords and change them regularly. Do not tell them to
anyone.
• Do not tell people online that you are planning to be away from home, especially if they
know your address.
• Do not rely on the fact that you know with whom you communicate online.
• Do not rely on your privacy settings in social networks.
• Consider carefully all the people you want to add to your friends list.
• Protect your prestige and reputation. Do not carry on any activity online while drunk.
• Think twice about the photos and videos you publish. Do not publish photos with other
people without their consent.
2.2 Netiquette - rules of behaviour in social networks
Even the Internet environment has a set of rules telling you how to behave there. These rules
are called netiquette - or, net etiquette.
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1. You should not use your computer to harm other people.
2. You should not prevent other people from working online.
3. You should not snoop in other people’s files.
4. You should not use your computer to steal.
5. You should not use your computer to spread tales.
6. You should not use or copy programs you have not paid for.
7. You should not use resources in other people’s computers without permission.
8. You should not challenge other people’s right to use their intellect.
9. You should think of the social relevance of the program you are writing.
10. You should use your computer with respect and consideration.
3. Information overload
Information overload is becoming an issue in today’s society. Every day we have to take in
more and more useless information, be it on the Internet, in e-mails, discussion groups, social
networks, on TV, in advertisements, radios, mobile phones, magazines, scientific articles etc.,
and have to select information which is useful to us. In order to manage information overload,
we may adopt a suitable approach to information. In this chapter we will introduce methods of
managing information overload.
Information production is constantly
increasing. In the picture, you can see
how information production has
multiplied in the course of a few years.
Don’t you sometimes think that it is too
much?
Information overload may cause the
fatigue information syndrome. This
syndrome was defined by the
psychologist David Lewis as a condition
in which one is exposed to an excessive
influence of information. Information
overload has a negative impact on
health. It may show through fatigue,
headache, insomnia, irritation, memory
problems or stress.
3.1 Information overload prevention methods
These methods may help you reduce information overload while working with the Internet, as
well as in everyday life.
• Before you start searching online, determine the kind of information you need. Do not
waste time surfing pointlessly.
• Unless absolutely necessary, do not look for discussion groups. If you search for
particular pieces of information in them, ignore the rest of the threads.
• Set a suitable homepage. There are search engines without disturbing advertisements,
and are thus more suitable.
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• Reduce watching television. Advertisements are a significant element of information
overload. Do not turn your television on as a background.
• Inform everyone as to what means of communication you prefer, and communicate in
that way.
• Decide what kind of information sources it is beneficial to follow.
A suitable means of making your work more effective and reducing information
overload is adopting the methods of time management and GTD (Getting Things Done).
RSS
A suitable tool for reducing information overload is the RSS tool (Rich Site Summary). If you
visit some websites on a regular basis in order to get new information, RSS is an ideal solution
which will save you a lot of time. RSS is a technology which notifies users of new information
(news, articles etc.) on selected websites. This way there is no need for you to visit the same
websites every day - new information shows automatically in one spot, and thus saves your
time.
3.2 E-mail
E-mail may become a significant source of information overload. It is therefore advisable to
learn to use this communication tool effectively. The basic rules of an effective use of e-mail
are:
• Disable notifications of new e-mails.
• Do not let incoming e-mails distract you from your current task.
• Resist the temptation to constantly check your e-mail box.
• Determine the time when you will check your e-mails. Check your e-mail box twice a day
at most when you have nothing important to do.
• Use an idle time period to check your e-mails (e.g. in the train).
• In order for a message to be read at all in a full e-mail box, it must have a well-chosen
subject.
Do you know the initiative jen.petvet.cz?
In other words, a simple piece of advice on how to use e-mail in an effective way.
Spams
Usually we do not even know that a spam has been sent to our e-mail address. A spam filter
mostly detects such messages in our e-mail client and does not deliver them. However, if an
unwanted message is delivered, we recommend observing the following basic rules:
• Do not open suspicious messages or reply to them. You would only confirm that your email
address is active. Delete such messages via the “delete as spam” command.
• Spams sometimes contain images or links; do not open them.
• Do not resend chain letters; by doing so you might unintentionally become an author of
spam.
• Do not give away your address on websites, in advertisements, in discussion forums.
Spammers use special robots (spambots) in order to find e-mail addresses.
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Spam can be divided into basic categories.
Type of spam How do we recognize spam?
Hoax It describes a danger, relates the devastating effects of a virus, spreads tales,
dangers, refers to a reliable source.
Phishing It tries to obtain confidential information about e-banking and to act as an
institution where you have an account, describes made-up problems, contains
links to fraudulent websites.
Fake lotteries Such messages inform you of an imaginary prize and try to entice a sum of money
from you.
SCAM 419 Such fraudulent messages are called “Nigerian letters”. They usually ask for a
transfer of money for a provision. Their aim is to entice sums of money from
people.
Chain e-mails They have no information value and unnecessarily increase information overload.
Conclusion
The text objective was to acquaint you with the most important topics of information hygiene,
which may appear in your everyday lives. Let us summarize the most important points:
• Addiction to Internet applications may be considered a behaviour disorder leading to
an uncontrolled and harmful use of these applications. Addiction may come in many
forms, e.g. playing games or excessive Internet communication.
• Addiction to Internet applications and resulting excessive use of the computer have
negative impacts on human body - physical, mental and social. It is advisable to adopt
methods of prevention.
• Social networks may also become a source of excessive information, which brings no
benefit. It is necessary to observe the rules of safe behaviour - above all, you should
avoid mentioning your personal data, and adjust your privacy settings accordingly.
• General internet behaviour has its rules, called netiquette. Observing these rules cannot
be enforced by law; however, the given Internet community usually requires it.
• The most effective method of information overload prevention is to adopt an active
approach and be able to decide what kind of information it is beneficial to follow.
• The use of RSS channels and an effective use of e-mail may help you manage
information overload.
• Spams can be divided into several categories according to their characteristics - hoax,
phishing or chain e-mails.
Autor of this modul
Jan Zikuška
They devote a greater part of their workday to NAKLIV project (National Cluster of Information
Literacy). Their objective is to support cooperation among people concerned with information
training. Within the Division of Information and Library Studies, their job duties include, in addition
to the e-learning courses Working with information and Creative working with information,
teaching a course called Information training.