Taming the Information Tide: Perceptions of Information Overload in the American Home

Abstract

The open flow and sharing of information are essential for the economic and scientific progress and political freedom of nations as well as the promotion of international peace and harmony. Yet, more and more nations are developing restrictive information policies to maintain their political, cultural and economic status. The author calls this phenomenon, “information protectionism,” and examines a number of cooperative steps that are being taken to assure the open exchange of ideas and information and to create a policy of global information interdependence. The basic challenge, the article concludes, is to find and maintain a realistic balance between open transborder data flow and national concerns and priorities.