Information overload occurs when the amount of information received exceeds the processing and analytical capacity of a system or individual. It is important to note that information overload is not solely related to the quantity of information, but also to the suitability of the processing and analytical tools for handling this mass of information. For example, a more efficient search engine A will be able to collect and classify pages related to a keyword more comprehensively than a less efficient search engine B, which will be more quickly overwhelmed by information overload.

Carla Mendoza and Pierre-Laurent Bescos have emphasized that information overload has become a common problem. Managers complain about the lack of selectivity in information systems, faced with a flow of poorly structured, poorly prioritized, and even contradictory information. It is essential to distinguish between formal sources, such as written documents, and informal sources, such as meetings and conversations. Managers are not passive in the face of this information deluge, but are actively involved in the selection and sorting process to regulate the flow of incoming information.

In the 2010s, enterprise social networks experienced rapid growth. This phenomenon was partly driven by the need to consolidate the disorganized information that had become excessively abundant, such as emails, phone calls, letters, notes, memos, and reports, in order to use it effectively and efficiently.