Too Much Information

A small community of information theory thinkers offers the word 'exformation'. As opposed to 'information', exformation is the stuff we leave out.

Poetry, for example, is loaded with exformation. The poet expresses a lot with only a few words, leaving readers and listeners to play a role.

Old friends use lots of exformation. Sometimes they don't have to say much in order to be completely understood.

The idea is that exformation is a good thing; the more the better.

Too much information is a nuisance. A cover letter from a job applicant, loaded with paragraph after paragraph is a great example. Or, the gibber jabber from someone who talks too much.

I suppose the principles of effectiveness and efficiency are alive and well in the domain of interpersonal communication. Perhaps the matter is another way of getting at the definition of elegance.