The Need for an Information Diet in the Age of Digital Gluttony

"Fat paunches have lean pates; and dainty bits
Make rich the ribs, but bankrupt quite the wits."

___ William Shakespeare.

We live in an era where information is more accessible than clean air.  Humanity is faced with a curious paradox: we are both informed and overwhelmed, connected yet distracted. As Israeli historian Yuval Noah Harari warns, the 21st century does not suffer from a lack of information but from an excess of it. In this age of digital glut, it is not just our physical health but also our mental clarity, social harmony, and civic sensibilities that demand a well-regulated information diet.

Harari draws a parallel between the food we eat and the information we consume. Just as we now suffer more from obesity than starvation, we are drowning in content while starving for insight. A single scroll through social media or news apps floods us with updates: political rants, climate crises, celebrity gossip, trending reels, health scares and, often, misinformation disguised as truth.

Unlike in the past, where information was hard-earned through books or debates, today it is algorithmically fed, tailored not to enlighten, but to engage. And the consequence is a population constantly plugged in but increasingly polarized, distracted, and fatigued.

The World Health Organization recognizes infodemic fatigue as a real mental health challenge. Doomscrolling, information anxiety, and digital burnout are now everyday experiences. In India, where smartphone penetration is deepening even in rural areas, the impact is especially complex that combines low digital literacy with high exposure.

In children, unlimited screen time is being linked to lower attention spans and impaired social interaction. For adults, the addiction to being "always updated" has made stillness feel like negligence. Silence has become suspect. But can democracy, empathy, and creativity flourish without contemplation?

An information diet does not necessarily mean disconnection. It means conscious consumption. It is like the difference between eating junk food all day versus choosing nourishing meals. That is why this diet is crucial:

To reclaim agency: Algorithms decide what we see. An intentional diet gives power back to the individual.

To protect democracy: Misinformation spreads faster than facts. Disciplined media consumption helps sustain rational discourse.

To preserve mental health: Overexposure to negativity numbs us. A filtered intake maintains emotional balance.

To rediscover depth: In an age of headlines, true understanding requires going beyond the superficial.

Just as nutritionists recommend “clean eating,” digital hygiene experts now suggest practices like:

Scheduled news intake – Consume news at fixed times rather than throughout the day.

Media fasting – Take regular breaks from social media and online platforms.

Source selectivity – Follow a few credible sources rather than a noisy feed of everything.

Deep reading – Read books, long-form journalism, and essays over tweets and snippets.

Digital mindfulness – Reflect on why you are consuming something: for knowledge, validation, or escape?

The need of the hour is not just individual discipline but also systemic change. Schools must teach media literacy alongside math and science. Tech companies must be held accountable for the mental health consequences of infinite scrolls. And as citizens, we must develop a new ethic: one that respects facts, values silence and cherishes discernment.

Harari rightly says that clarity is power. But in a world full of noise, clarity comes not from knowing everything, but from knowing what to ignore.

Being in an age of information bombardment, when we are constantly urged to know more, speak louder, and scroll faster, we need to be mindful of what we consume. Perhaps Shakespeare said it best: "Wisely and slow; they stumble that run fast."

By ;  Dr Srabani Basu, Associate Professor, Department of Literature and Languages, SRM University AP, Amaravati.