Information literacy, information overload and information vulnerability in students from public, free and community college entrance courses

This work aims at understanding the information overload in students from public, free and community college entrance courses, identifying relationships and guiding principles of information literacy in the target public. With a qualitative approach and an emphasis on phenomenology, the investigation was carried out through bibliographic and documentary research, as well as interviews with 38 students from four university entrance courses, addressing their feelings and experiences related to information literacy, information overload and vulnerability in information. The results show that some students have implied perceptions of information literacy, in line with the concepts in the literature. For the most part, they feel insecure about aspects such as the reliability of information, methods of personal organization and more efficient study techniques. Even acknowledging information overload and reporting psychosomatic symptoms, a greater number of students do not consider themselves harmed by the phenomenon. They also report situations in which they felt vulnerable, especially because of factors such as low self-esteem and difficulties in understanding study content. Respondents recognize the importance of information for their lives and for society.