International Conference on Knowledge Management

Cyber addiction refers to the excessive use of internet and cyber application leading to adverse outcomes such as stress, distractions, reduced motivation levels, and challenges in task orientation. Uncontrolled consumption of the internet leads to information overload that impact productivity and workplace performance (Griffiths, 2010). In such cases, the ubiquitous availability of information can lead to IT-related stress where users derive a reduced sense of satisfaction (Diomidous et al. 2016). People who frequently access the internet can experience various issues, which encompass anxiety, depression, and self-image challenges. Physically, affected individuals experience disrupted sleep patterns, irritability and high levels of fatigue. Social networking sites increase the risk of addiction and online dependency, aspects associated with low levels of productivity (Hoq, 2014). As illustrated in fig 1, the paper hypothesizes that there is a direct relationship between information overload and workplace performance and job satisfaction. The assumption is that cyber addiction worsens the problem of information overload, which in return, impacts information behavior and use and workplace/job performance (Riaz & Qureshi, 2019). The study addresses the following research questions: What is the impact of cyber addiction on workplace performance? What are the relationships between cyber addiction, information workload and information behavior and use? The findings indicate cyber addiction adversely affects job performance and significantly correlates with the concept of information overload and information behavior and use. Prominent issues among a majority of users include poor prioritization and planning, as employees often opt for non-essential functions at the expense of critical ones