There are four types of digital hoarders â which type are you>
Stuff – The Conversation
How many emails are in your inbox. If the answer is thousands, or if you often struggle to find a file on your computer among its cluttered hard drive, then you might be classed as a digital hoarder.
The authors of this research paper defined digital hoarding as âthe accumulation of digital files to the point of loss of perspective which eventually results in stress and disorganisationâ. By surveying hundreds of people, my colleagues and I found that digital hoarding is common in the workplace. In a follow-up study, in which we interviewed employees in two large organisations who exhibited lots of digital hoarding behaviours, we identified four types of digital hoarder.
âCollectorsâ are organised, systematic and in control of their data. âAccidental hoardersâ are disorganised, donât know what they have, and donât have control over it. The âhoarder by instructionâ keeps data on behalf of their company (even when they could delete much of it). Finally, âanxious hoardersâ have strong emotional ties to their data â and are worried about deleting it.
To assess the extent of digital hoarding, we initially surveyed more than 400 people, many of whom admitted to hoarding behaviour. Some people reported that they kept many thousands of emails in inboxes and archived folders and never deleted their messages. This was especially true of work emails, which were seen as potentially useful as evidence of work undertaken, a reminder of outstanding tasks, or were simply kept âjust in caseâ.
Research has shown that physical hoarders can develop strategies to reduce their accumulation behaviours. While people can be helped to stop accumulating, they are more resistant when it comes to actually getting rid of their cherished possessions â perhaps because they âanthropomorphiseâ them, treating inanimate objects as if they had thoughts and feelings.
As hoarding is often associated with anxiety and insecurity, addressing the source of these negative emotions may alleviate hoarding behaviours. Workplaces can do more here, by reducing non-essential email traffic, making it very clear what information should be retained or discarded, and by delivering training on workplace data responsibilities.
Link: https://stuff.co.za/2021/01/18/four-digital-hoarders-which-are-you/