For a very long time, I have admired technology in all its forms because of its impact on how we think, interact, and behave. It would be a big, fat lie not to admit that life has become a lot easier — especially since the early 1990s. But is it really that simple? Is it all pros and no cons?

Today, we are surrounded by information from the moment we wake up until we fall asleep. Our ability to filter and interpret this information effectively is limited — and always has been. Some people even become slaves to their own laziness, choosing not to filter at all and instead believing everything they see, hear, or read. Let's be honest: no human being is capable of digesting such massive amounts of information.

At this point, you might be thinking: "But I only read, hear, and see what I want!" Believe it or not, this is far from true.

To make this easier to understand, let's divide access to information into two categories: active receivers and passive receivers.

Active receiver When we are active receivers, we are in control. We consciously choose what to read, watch, or listen to. Searching YouTube to fix a piece of furniture, reading a biography of your favourite athlete, or keeping up with local or global politics — this is information you actively seek out with a purpose. In these situations, most people are aware of the source and are better equipped to evaluate what to trust and what to question.

Passive receiver This is where things get a lot more unclear. As passive receivers, we often don't realise that our minds are being flooded with unnecessary information. This overload makes it harder to focus, to filter, and to understand context — and as a result, we become more vulnerable to false or misleading information.

As humans, we do not have unlimited cognitive resources. When our processing capacity is exceeded, stress follows. We live in the era of information — and also in an era where stress is more widespread than ever. Is there a correlation? In many ways, these two seem to go hand in hand, and it is tempting to conclude that there is indeed a connection. I, for one, strongly believe that there is.

The most difficult part is that the line between active and passive receiving is incredibly thin. When we actively search for information, we are almost always exposed to passive information at the same time. When surfing the web, one does not exclude the other. Think about all the advertisements shown while you are searching for something relevant, or the endless notifications and pop-ups when you simply want to connect with friends on social media.

So where does this leave us?

In short, we will always be exposed to false information and fake news. Filtering everything with 100% accuracy is nearly impossible. The challenge, then, is not whether we can eliminate passive information — but whether we can become more aware of how much power we unknowingly give it.