Why do I feel overwhelmed trying to figure out what’s true?

Many people describe a sense of cognitive overload online — not just doubting one claim, but feeling worn down by conflicting information, repeated verification, and uncertainty about what is real. Survey data can help place those experiences in context without assuming a single cause.

Answer

This experience is common in HCI survey samples. In our Digital Trust 2025 survey (n=505), 64% agreed that they feel overwhelmed by conflicting information, and 89% agreed that it is hard to know what is real online.

Within this sample, this suggests that overwhelm often arises not from a single uncertainty, but from the effort required to evaluate multiple competing claims at once.

Percentages reflect respondents selecting 5–7 (agreement) on a 7-point Likert scale unless otherwise stated.

These findings reflect self-reported perceptions within survey samples. They do not measure objective truth levels or establish causation.

How this experience is commonly described

  • I’m completely overwhelmed.
  • It shouldn’t be this hard to know what’s true.
  • I have no idea who to believe anymore.
  • The constant scepticism is mentally draining.
  • I feel like I’m constantly double-checking everything.
  • I try to verify things, but it takes forever.
  • I feel uneasy when I don’t know what to trust.

How this fits into the wider pattern

Across HCI datasets, this sense of overwhelm reflects a broader pattern of information overload, where multiple signals — often conflicting — must be evaluated simultaneously.

As the effort required to determine what is true increases, people report greater difficulty resolving uncertainty and maintaining confidence in their conclusions.

What tends to accompany this experience?

Among respondents who reported feeling overwhelmed by conflicting information (n=322):

  • 97% also agreed that it is hard to know what is real online.
  • 79% also reported being unsure which sources they should rely on.
  • 73% also agreed that not knowing what to trust makes them feel anxious or uneasy.

This pattern suggests that overwhelm commonly appears alongside difficulty establishing truth, uncertainty about reliable sources, and emotional strain when navigating conflicting information.

How people respond to this overload

When this level of uncertainty becomes difficult to manage, many people report shifting how they make credibility decisions. In the Trust Calibration & Information Environments 2026 survey (n=393), 64% agreed that when uncertain, they rely on systems or platforms to decide what is credible.

This suggests that cognitive overload is often accompanied by a behavioural response — reducing the effort required to evaluate information by relying more heavily on external systems or signals.

Theme: Trust, Reality & Uncertainty
Construct tags: Trust Calibration, Cognitive Load
How do I know what’s real online anymore?
Perceived authenticity erosion and uncertainty about what is real. I don’t know what to believe anymore — is this normal?
How common epistemic uncertainty appears in survey data. Why does everything online feel fake?
Perceived authenticity erosion and judgement strain patterns. Why does trying to verify information feel so exhausting?
Verification fatigue and strain patterns. How can I trust AI if it sounds confident but is wrong?
Trust calibration under confident outputs.

Part of a wider topic

This page is part of the Trust, Reality & Uncertainty in the AI Era topic — examining trust in information sources, perceived deception risk, verification behaviour, and uncertainty about what is real online.

Browse all HCI question topics in the Questions Hub .