As knowledge workers we are faced everyday with an increasing stream of digital information. Via our email, RSS, Twitter and Facebook, we graze and snack throughout our day on this glut of digital treats.

But is this making us digitally obese? And if so, what can we do about it?

This was a question posed by a recent Digital Obesity debate in London. Host Kester Brewin was joined by panellists Simon Jenkins (Ship of Fools), Gavin O’Carroll (Digital Health Service) and Jenny Brown (The Awesome Web Company) to debate the issue. Listening to the podcast of the evening this week had me musing over the concept of digital obesity and information overload.

The starting point for the discussion was the recent book by Nicholas Carr: The Shallows - What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains. I will confess, I haven't read the book yet but my impression from passages and concepts quoted from the book by the host and from other Internet sources suggest that Carr takes a fairly negative standpoint towards the Internet as he suggests that the more time we spend online, the more we are “losing our capacity for concentration, contemplation, and reflection”.

Carr argues that the Net allows us consume large amounts of information, but with limited depth or engagement with the material. He quotes studies that show that due to the plastic nature of our brains this could have a long term negative impact on our ability to retain information. While I agree with Carr's premise, my argument would be that with the ability to store and recall data instantly using the Internet and our mobile devices, the need to remember large amounts of data is no longer of value. Indeed, Phil Libin, the CEO of Evernote (my favourite application for information capture and recall) calls the application 'an external brain'. I would suggest that with an 'external brain' taking care of information storage needs, we can use our other brain for more high level activities such as thinking and writing. I would argue further that with content creating platforms such as blogs, podcasting and video sites, we can now actively engage in the creation of ideas instead of just being a passive recipient of them; a great way to engage with a topic.

Another quote from The Shallows talked about the problem of digital addition; an idea that stimulated a lively discussion between the panel and the audience. My viewpoint is that there is a world of difference between real digital addiction and what I would call digital compulsion; I agree that we are compelled to interact with our stream of digital goodies just like we are compelled towards the biscuit tin. Gary Small, Professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA has found that that the anticipation of exciting interactions in our email or our social media networks charges up the dopamine reward system in our brains which makes it more compelling that the task we are supposed to be concentrating on. But does this mean we are addicted?

Just like the biscuit tin, I suggest we have a choice. We can choose to take a few biscuits and put away the tin. Real addictive eaters would not stop until the packet is finished. In my experience of working with clients and observing people at work, it is lack of awareness and self-discipline that get people into trouble. Being mindful and paying attention to why you are online or engaging with the digital world can go a long way to reducing its hold over your day.

So what strategies could we put in place to ensure we consume digital information in a healthy way?

1. My first suggestion is to go on a low information diet. Take a long hard look at how many types of information you consume on a daily basis. How many email newsletters do you subscribe too? How many people you follow on Twitter? How many blogs do you read or attempt to read? Ask yourself "is this creating value for me or am I just engaging/subscribing because I always have?".

2. Use your Filters (see "F" in my From Apps to Zen ebook) to reduce the number of information streams coming into your day. Filters are experts in your area who read and filter and best information about an area of interest. Find out who these people are and follow them.

3. Set boundaries for yourself for when you consume your digital diet. To take the analogy of the biscuit tin, you could set aside small digital 'tea breaks' for a digital snacks during your day. Twitter for morning elevenses, Facebook for post-lunch and email for afternoon tea.

4. Limit access to your digital devices and temptations. Turn off any email or social media notifications on your computer or smartphone and only open these applications when you want to have your digital snack. When you are finished work for the day, shut down your laptop and keep it switched off until the morning.

What do you think? Are we getting fat from our digital feeds? Are we truly addicted to digital technologies? What other strategies can we put in place to reduce our digital obesity?

[Image with thanks to melanie_hughes via Creative Commons]