These are clips, outtakes from a one-hour prime time television documentary that I made in 1980. 1980 was really an amazing moment for me as a documentary filmmaker. I was traveling around the country interviewing people about information overload, about how much paper was being used in their offices & about the dream of a paperless office, and about other issues involved with the dawn of the computer age.
Most office workers and corporate executives (both are presented in this clip) had not really been asked these questions and therefore they shared what they were experiencing and what they saw coming - paper overload - early computers - more information - more overload. I was filming at the end of the industrial age in the dawn of the information age. The result created a one hour prime time television special called The Information Society.
I doubt that today any corporation would let filmmakers ask blunt questions and get straight answers without a PR person watching every word spoken.
Information overload occurs when workers are presented with an overwhelming amount of information making it difficult for them to process and make decisions. As a result of an overwhelming amount of information individuals may experience cognitive overload, fatigue and anxiety. The sheer volume of information can also make it difficult to focus on important tasks or make decisions leading to procrastination.
Back in 1980 the office was a very different place. While computers had started to be used in the workplace they were not as ubiquitous as they are today and most office work was still done using manual methods like:
Typewriters were the primary tool for creating and formatting documents, and were widely used in offices for tasks such as letter writing, report writing and data entry.
Photocopiers were common in offices by 1980 and they were an essential tool for making copies of documents quickly and easily.
Fax machines were still a relatively new technology and were beginning to be used for sending and receiving documents over telephone lines.
For those who needed (like I did back then) to dictate letters or reports, dictation machines were a popular tool for recording spoken notes that could later be transcribed by a secretary or typist.
Paper-based filing systems were the norm in 1980 with documents being organized and stored in cabinets or drawers.
While computers were becoming more common, calculators were still widely used in offices for performing basic calculations and accounting tasks.
The promise of a paperless office referred to the idea that with the rise of computers and digital technology, businesses would no longer need to rely on paper-based systems and would instead be able to operate entirely electronically. The vision was that this would lead to a more efficient, productive, and environmentally friendly workplace.
But despite advances in technology the promise of a paperless office is for most, still a dream. There are several reasons for this.
Human behavior: While digital technology provides many advantages, people are still accustomed to using paper-based systems. For example, many people prefer to take notes on paper.
There is still today a lack of standardization across digital systems which makes it difficult to seamlessly transfer and share documents between different programs and devices.
Despite the increasing affordability of technology some businesses still find it too expensive to fully digitize their operations. And some employees lack the digital literacy skills required to use it effectively.
Digital systems can be vulnerable to security breaches and cyber attacks which can compromise sensitive information.
All of the above does not exclude the huge advances that have been made. The SAGE 100 paperless office. Paperless law offices, etc. But does information overload still exist? For me it does and maybe for you as well.
To find out how I got to film these clips, look at the beginning of this video -
• She Told Me What It Wa...
I look forward to reading your comment on this. And if you enjoyed it please support my efforts to present more clips, intakes and outtakes, by clicking the Super Thanks button below the video screen.
David Hoffman filmmaker