Information fatigue syndrome as a new “Disease of Civilization”

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Introduction. In our age of information technology, it is difficult to imagine our life without electronic devices. They have become an integral part of each of us, one of the most important needs. We use them everywhere: at school, university, at work, during leisure, at home.
Thanks to the development of new technologies, every person in any corner of the world has access to the World Wide Web. According to the UN, over 8 billion people live on Earth, let's imagine that every third person uses electronic devices. And if we consider this issue on a global scale, we can confidently say that humanity is "drowning in a stream of a huge amount of information", but at the same time will experience a lack of knowledge of it. A paradox, isn't it? This is where the concept we are studying follows. Information fatigue syndrome is a negative, destructive effect of gadgets on the human body, characterized by an excess of consumed information and is expressed in the inability of the brain to perceive large amounts of data and form a holistic picture. Currently, information fatigue syndrome is not officially a disease, it is not included in the ICD-10 list, but nevertheless has real signs of illness, can become chronic, and form an addiction. Sometimes we do not notice how electronic devices "absorb us into their world." Addiction is formed: people constantly monitor social networks, notifications, watch videos, feeds in Telegram and VKontakte. The feeling of constant overstrain, excessive emotionality, aggressiveness, somatic and psycho-emotional disorders are the leading symptoms of information fatigue syndrome. Sleep disturbance, memory impairment, decreased analytical abilities, communication skills, logical thinking suffer, up to the occurrence of anxiety, insomnia and even depression may be observed.
The relevance of this topic is due to the fact that electronic devices are deeply embedded in various spheres of everyday life. People use gadgets for educational purposes, visit electronic libraries, master classes, look at current news, follow the weather forecast, order food from a restaurant, communicate with relatives and friends without leaving home. Isn't it true that electronic devices make our lives much easier? Yes, indeed, gadgets help in many ways, make life easier in the modern world. You don't need to stand in line for several hours at the doctor's office, you just need to make an appointment through the State Services portal in a couple of clicks, saving your time.
Now preschoolers are already skillfully handling gadgets, mastering social networks, and are fond of computer games. Although not so long ago, younger schoolchildren did not know about such, it is worth noting that the influence of electronic devices from an early age can later lead to the occurrence of serious diseases of various organs and systems.
Considering the other side of the coin, it is worth saying: prolonged stay on the Internet has a negative effect on both individual organs and systems, and the body as a whole. Attention disorders, decreased concentration, short-term memory disorders, mood swings are the initial signs of information fatigue. Subsequent uncontrolled passion for information resources forms dependence on them, anxiety, aggression, panic attacks, difficulties in making decisions, physiological disorders. Considering the number of people on Earth who use information resources, this topic is quite relevant for study in our time and requires close attention, as well as the formation of knowledge and skills for the prevention and elimination of information fatigue syndrome. The purpose of the study is to study information fatigue syndrome and assess the awareness and health of medical students after using electronic devices.

Materials and methods of the research.
To achieve the set goal, a sociological study was conducted, during which 35 students of the Institute of Dentistry, 14 students of the Faculty of Medicine, 17 students of the Institute of Nursing Education of the VSMU named after N. N. Burdenko were interviewed.
At the beginning of the study, the respondents were asked a question related to the direct definition of the concept of "information fatigue syndrome". It turned out that 64.7% of the surveyed students have an idea of ​​​​the syndrome under study. However, 21.5% had not heard of it before, 13.8% found it difficult to answer
After which the students answered the question: "What electronic devices do you use?" "Several at once" - this is how 41 people (63.1%) answered, a phone - 35.4% of respondents, a tablet - 1.5%.
Next, the students were asked a question about the amount of time spent on the phone per day. 46.2% of students answered - 5-7 hours, more than 8 hours - 27.7%, 2-4 hours - 26.1%. Among the surveyed students there were no those who spend less than 2 hours.
It is worth noting that 69.2% of the surveyed colleagues noticed fatigue after spending time on the Internet, social networks. 21.5% will not experience such a state. 7.7% find it difficult to answer, do not know - 1.6%.
Next, the effect of electronic devices on the body, manifestations of information fatigue syndrome were studied. And then the answers were distributed as follows: 70.8% of the surveyed students observed such phenomena as excessive emotionality, overstrain. 18.5% of people do not have these phenomena. 7.6% find it difficult to answer, 3.1% do not know.
43.1% of the surveyed students note a state of hypodynamia, 35.4% do not. 8 people (12.3%) find it difficult to answer, 6 people (9.2%) do not know.
40% of respondents suffer from headaches, the remaining 58.5% do not, 1 person (1.5%) finds it difficult to answer.
Among the students surveyed, 55.4% feel tension in the neck muscles after using electronic devices, 41.5% do not suffer from this phenomenon. 2 people (3.1%) find it difficult to answer. The study revealed how students prefer to spend their free time. Walking, visiting shopping and entertainment centers - 36.9%, social networks, computer games - 21.6%, their own option - 12 people, 18.4%, sports, fitness - 8 people (12.4%), reading a book on paper - 7 people (10.7%). In this study, it was found that the duration of time and the purpose of spending it on electronic devices: 29.3% use them for educational purposes: preferably educational platforms and electronic libraries. 26.1% each to get distracted and spend time on social networks, to occupy free time - 12.4%, and to drown out worries - 6.1% of respondents.
Given the high popularity of social networks in the modern world and a significant percentage, our study found that students most often visit Telegram - 63.8%, Vkontakte - 15.7%, a service for creating and viewing short videos - 8.1%. 6.2% divided between 2 answer options - a popular Internet video platform and a social network and others.
Students were given multiple choice reflecting their health status after using electronic devices. 18.6% of the surveyed students experience a constant urge to search for new information, 10.7% - anxiety and insomnia, 9.2% - decreased analytical skills. 52.3% of the respondents did not observe these manifestations in themselves; 9.2% - noticed several of the listed signs. In addition, 18.5% of students note the formation of dependence on information sources, 12.3% - mood swings; anxiety and panic attacks - 3.1%. In turn, it is worth noting that 52.3% of students do not note these manifestations of information fatigue syndrome, and 13.8%, on the contrary, observe several of the listed ones at once. Conclusions. As a result of the sociological survey, it can be concluded that most students have an idea of ​​​​the concept of "information fatigue syndrome" (64.7%), but 35.3% do not. A certain number of students have already noticed some manifestations of the syndrome: a constant craving for new information, mood swings, anxiety, panic attacks, insomnia. All these signs are "alarm bells", correspond to the initial period of the disease, which requires a specialist consultation.It turned out that only 29.3% of students use electronic devices for educational purposes, the remaining 70.7% of surveyed colleagues - for other purposes. They prefer such options as communicating with friends and relatives, spending time on social networks, audio and video calls, walks in the fresh air, visiting shopping and entertainment centers, restaurants, reading books on paper. It is worth noting that 69.2% of students noticed fatigue after spending time on the Internet, social networks, which is also food for thought, a question worth seriously considering. According to the survey, it is necessary to improve the level of students' knowledge in the issue of a new, rapidly developing pathology, as well as offer certain measures to combat information fatigue syndrome. Conclusion. Thus, to solve problems in the field of healthcare, the following solutions can be proposed, identified as a result of a survey of medical university students: 1) preventive talks aimed at informing students about information fatigue syndrome, its symptoms, and preventive measures; 2) development and creation of booklets with recommendations; 3) psychological support for those who are “confused” and do not know how to overcome dependence on information sources. These methods will minimize the risk of information fatigue syndrome, and if it is present, eliminate the new pathology.

 

About the authors

Victoria A. Zolotuhina

Voronezh State Medical University named after N. N. Burdenko

Author for correspondence.
Email: v_zolotuhina04@mail.ru
ORCID iD: 0009-0008-3127-9100

Department of Management in Healthcare

Russian Federation, 394036, Russia, Voronezh, st. Studencheskaya, 10

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