One of the biggest problems that people now face when doing research is the amount of information we get now. For each of your topics, multiple stories are told by random people on the Internet.
Specially influencers!
People who have no information on the topic you are researching on.
These people still, without any research and knowledge, keep on piling up new content and stories on the Internet.
Hi! I am Brad.
And today, I am talking about the problem called “Your topics | Multiple stories”. The technical term for this problem is “Information Overload”.
20 Problems We Face Because of Information Overload
Before I start, I want to give you a summary of what we are discussing today. As I told you, I have given this problem a new name: “Your Topics | Multiple Stories”.
But the term this problem is commonly known as is ‘Information Overload’ or “Information Fatigue”.
Today, we will discuss the following problems that are caused by this continued flow of false information.
What happens when your research topics are full of multiple stories and POVs?
- Too much information to go through.
- Conflict in evaluating credibility.
- Hard to decide which story to focus on.
- Worrying about missing out on important details.
- Getting distracted by too many different angles.
- Balancing different opinions on the same topic.
- Not knowing where to start when researching.
- Getting confused by different sources that don’t agree.
- Struggling to figure out which story is trustworthy; causing conflict in evaluating credibility.
- Getting stuck in one point of view because of too many choices.
- Losing the main point while looking at too many sides.
- Overthinking and making things more complicated.
- Wasting time on information that doesn’t matter.
- Keeping stories from getting messy or mixed up.
- Trying not to upset anyone with different opinions.
- Ignoring ideas that don’t fit your current view.
- Dealing with stories that contradict each other.
- Having trouble organizing all the stories.
- Fearing that you’ll overwhelm your audience with too much.
- Losing track of the main story while exploring side stories.
- Getting tired of constantly jumping between different stories.
And these are just some of the simply noticeable problems. During large-scale research, this problem becomes even bigger and more worrying.
Storytelling Is A Challenge In This Age
The biggest problem that information overload creates is faced by the storytellers. When you are narrating a story, you get tired of adjusting your perspective to keep an inclusive voice or tone.
Too much information means too many judges of your confirmation bias.
Oh, that’s where we have to talk about confirmation bias.
Storytelling, your topics, multiple stories, and confirmation biases
As I was saying, too much information invited extra criticism. One of the reasons for that is confirmation bias.
When you are getting a large number of perspectives and multiple stories on your topics, you might get overwhelmed by that. In that case, you might also choose to prefer certain perspectives over others.
It might feel like an honest narrowing of information but it will be seen by many as confirmation bias.
What is confirmation bias?
Confirmation bias is a situation when we tend to prefer information that we are already biased toward.
We start denying conflicting POVs and choose to only accept one or a few points of view.
Another problem that we face when dealing with too much information is the inability to verify their credibility.
With wrong information spreading so fast because of social media and forum popularity, it is hard to find credible information now.
But is ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ always a troubling practice? Or does it also have some advantages?
If we can somehow overcome the problem of confirmation bias, we might actually use the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ practice to create a richer understanding of various issues.
How can we do that? Let us talk about that now.
How to Practice ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ Positively When Telling A Story?
When we are in our storytelling phase, we need to be patient with all the information that is thrown at us. By being patient initially, we can avoid being tired of perspectives and be more open to new ideas.
That is when you have to do the following:
- Make a list of conflicting stories on your topic to cover.
- Choose credible sources of information for multiple stories of your topics.
- Write an initial summary or drafts from more than one POV.
- Discuss the story with people who disagree with your view on your topic to get healthy criticism.
- Rewrite and repeat until you get your final draft.
To do this, you can use some of the concepts I am telling you here.
Read More Literature
The very first thing that you can do to start practicing ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ is to read more books.
When you are researching a historical event, a public figure, a philosophical idea, or any other such topic with multiple stories, you need to read more literature.
Literature opens up the door to critical thinking.
When you read books written by people from different mindsets, often opposite too, you will gain critical thinking ability. You will be able to evaluate things better and have analysis from more than one point of view.
You will also be able to maintain inclusive storytelling. It means that you will be able to consider multiple sides of a story.
Read News Stories from Multiple Sources
Another way to practice the concept of ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ is to read stories from more than one source.
There is always a sense of bias in news and media. That also opens the door for one to see things from multiple biased points of view. These biased ideas, when combined, can help us in thinking without biases.
Multiple news platforms might report the same news in exactly opposite manner. For example, when someone wins the presidency, one news report will tell you that people are not happy with the result while another will show immense happiness among citizens.
By following both of these news sources, you can get a better idea of how various sections of people treat the same event.
Please note that when following news, you should always assess the credibility of sources carefully.
Take Part in Social Debates
An even better way to gain perspective and practice ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ in public is to take part in debates and discussions.
When you talk to people whose ideas differ from yours, you get a fresh on our topics.
What’s a better way to get multiple stories on your topics than talking to people with multiple mindsets?
It also helps you focus on diversity in perspectives.
Talking to people with conflicting ideas helps you maintain narrative balance and flow when telling the story.
How does practicing the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ Method Help You?
Now that I have discussed possible complications and ways to implement the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ method, let us talk about how this will help you become a better storyteller.
Here are some of the benefits of practicing the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ method.
- Practicing this method helps you gain diverse perspectives to better understand others and build empathy.
- It deepens emotional connections. It also incorporates multiple narratives and enhances the emotional impact of your story.
- It encourages critical thinking and self-awareness.
- It helps with your personal growth as a storyteller.
- It polishes your real storytelling voice. It also makes your stories more genuine and relatable.
- It allows you to balance contrasting viewpoints.
- It broadens your knowledge as you read more books, podcasts, news, opinion, and documentaries.
- It combines different storylines to create a richer narrative with multiple narratives at play.
- It deepens your understanding of other people’s perspectives, supporting empathy building in your storytelling.
- It adds depth to your stories by reflecting thoughtfully on the narratives you choose to tell.
- It strengthens your audience’s connection by using varied stories to keep them emotionally engaged.
Practicing the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ method helps you organize diverse perspectives into a clear, structured approach for effective storytelling.
Through that, you gain fresh insights and new angles. It overall improves your storytelling by a big margin.
I am putting some additional points for you to follow when starting this practice. Follow these points to become a better storyteller and follower of the ‘Your Story | Multiple Topics’ practice.
Additional Points
- Find your storytelling voice. It is what makes your story yours.
- Always narrate using personal experiences. They hit harder and their emotional impact is long-lasting.
- Always be open to mixing your opinions with those of others. It makes your story rich.
- Use the power of Social media, streaming, and podcasts. That will give you endless scope of audience.
- Find a way to visualize your ideas. When books turn into movies or posts, stories go next level.
- Find ways to make your story personal about your audience. It gives them a sense of relaxation.
- Stories in education make even boring stuff interesting and memorable.
- Tech like VR and AI is turning stories into full-on experiences.
- Culture and history stay alive through stories – they’re timeless.
- Stories spark empathy, awareness, and sometimes, real social change.
Conclusion
The world has changed. Storytelling and information overload need to work together. There is no escape from this now.
The future of storytelling is being reshaped. Technology and social media platforms are breaking traditional boundaries. They are also opening doors for new possibilities.
Platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube have democratized storytelling. Anyone with an internet connection and a phone can now share opinions and have a voice.
The future will see advanced technology like augmented reality (AR), blockchain, and much better artificial intelligence (AI) than we have now. It will enable us to experience personalized narratives.
The future of storytelling is also going to be interactive. Your audience now won’t just read or listen to you. They’ll take part in your storytelling. It will make stories more engaging and personal.
Practicing my ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ method will help you stay ahead in the race of interactive storytelling.
So, are you ready to join? If so, I have created a special handbook on the ‘Your Topics | Multiple Stories’ technique for you. Download it for free by clicking the button below.
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