Information overload: Exploring management of electronic mail

This research study highlights the complexity surrounding the notion of information overload when using electronic mail (e-mail). Specifically, it focuses on the role of e-mail on information overload. This study examines how federal government employees of the Department of Navy Information Systems and Technology (ISAT) Support Office manage or handle their e-mail to avoid or mitigate the experience of information overload from e-mail. This research study suggests information overload is as real as it is perceived when using e-mail.; In addition, this research study suggests that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office are required to use e-mail daily as a means of basic communication in the workplace and that they use e-mail because it is necessary to their work accomplishment. This research study, in part, supports the proposition that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office experience information overload from using e-mail for basic communication in their workplace. Only some research participants reported experiencing information overload from using e-mail. Furthermore, this research study finds that federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office use e-mail for more than basic communications. They use e-mail as a general file system, as a database, and as a general archive for information.; Finally, federal government employees of the ISAT Support Office developed e-mail management or handling techniques to help them avoid or mitigate information overload from the use of e-mail. For example, they sort e-mail in ways that allow them to arrange messages by various attributes such as by sender or date received. They apply various strategies for deleting messages. They apply various strategies when archiving messages. They apply various strategies to organize e-mail messages.