Informational acceleration and the limits of the human mind

consumer vulnerability due to information overload

Abstract

This article analyzes consumer vulnerability in the digital society based on the phenomenon of informational acceleration and the cognitive limits of the human mind. It starts from the observation that the advancement of information and communication technologies has intensified information flows, producing an environment marked by excessive stimuli, cognitive overload, and difficulty in rationally interpreting available information. In this context, the consumer, although formally recognized as a subject of rights, begins to experience new forms of vulnerability – especially in the digital environment – ​​characterized by informational vulnerability and digital vulnerability. The work adopts a theoretical-dogmatic approach, articulating contributions from philosophy, sociology, and consumer law, to demonstrate that informational asymmetry, persuasive design, and the actions of digital platforms exacerbate the structural imbalance in consumer relations. It argues that consumer protection is undergoing a process of digitalization, requiring a reinterpretation of traditional instruments of protection in light of consumer protection. In light of the foregoing, it is concluded that information overload, far from increasing consumer autonomy, contributes to their decisional asphyxiation, imposing new challenges to the effectiveness of legal protection in the digital environment.