Read the passage carefully and answer the questions that follow :

One might think that more and unrestricted information flow would help people overcome communication problems but unrestricted flow may result in too much information. People respond to information overload in various ways. First, they may disregard certain information. A person getting too much mail may ignore letters that should be answered. Second, overwhelmed with too much information, people may make errors in processing it. For example, they may leave out the word "not" in a message, which reverses the intended meaning. Third, people may delay processing information, either permanently or with the intention of catching up in the future. Fourth, they may filter information. Filtering may be helpful when the most pressing and most important information is processed first and the less important messages receive lower priority. However, chances are that attention will be given first to matters that are easy to handle, while more difficult but perhaps critical messages are ignored. Finally, people respond to information overload by simply escaping from the task of communication. In other words, they ignore information or do not communicate it.

Some responses to information overload may be adaptive tactics that can, at times, be functional. For example, delaying the processing of information until the amount is reduced can be effective. On the other hand, withdrawing from the task of communicating is usually not a helpful response. Another way to approach the overload problem is to reduce the demand for information. Within an enterprise, this may be accomplished by insisting that only essential data be processed, such as information showing critical deviations from plans. Reducing external demand for information is usually more difficult because it is less controllable by managers.