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Infodumping is supplying a large amount of information at once. The term was first used in 1978 in the Proceedings of the Southeastcon Region 3 Conference 353.[1] Over time, the term "infodumping" was adopted in the context of literature (particularly within fantasy and science fiction[2]) as well as by the autistic community.[3]

Infodumping in literature

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In a literary context, infodumping is when an author writes execessive chunks of exposition, particularly if they are dull or irrelevant to the narrative.[4] This can result in dry, unengaging prose. It is often discussed among science fiction and fantasy authors because both subgenres require worldbuilding, which can be challenging for authors to weave in naturally with the plot.[5]

The narrative technique "show, don't tell" can help authors reduce literary infodumping, as it encourages the use of actions, words, subtext, thoughts, senses, and feelings instead of exposition.[6][7]

Infodumping as a neurodivergent communication style

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"Infodumping" is understood as one element of autistic expression, particularly as it relates to their topics of interest.[8][9][10] Among autistic people, infodumping plays a social role in bonding as it is a way of sharing interests.[11] Autistic people are more likely to welcome infodumping and view it as a positive trait in others than their allistic (or non-autistic) peers.[12]

Because allistic people are more likely to view infodumping as a negative trait, autistic people may feel pressured to "mask" their intense interest in a subject.[13] They may tone down their level of excitement or avoid talking about a subject altogether if they suspect their conversation partner does not want to hear their infodump.[14] Talk therapy can be a beneficial place for autistic individuals to "info dump everything" going on in their lives without fear of negative judgement.[15]

Infodumping is also associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Info-dump, N.". Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford UP. July 2023. doi:10.1093/OED/3631480232. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  2. ^ "infodump". Oxford Reference. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  3. ^ "Glossary". Reframing Autism. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  4. ^ Washington, Letitia (December 29, 2022). The Psychology of Character Building for Authors (The Author Psychology). Accomplishing Innovation Press. ISBN 978-1644506837.
  5. ^ Richard, Moriah (February 3, 2023). "Writing Mistakes Writers Make: Info Dumping". Writer's Digest. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  6. ^ "New York Times New York City Poll, August 2004". ICPSR Data Holdings. February 18, 2005. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  7. ^ Roberts, Adam (November 28, 2014). Get Started in Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy: How to write compelling and imaginative sci-fi and fantasy fiction (Teach Yourself). Teach Yourself. ISBN 978-1444795660.
  8. ^ Nelson, Jennifer (May 25, 2022). "An Analysis of Self-published Novels by Autistic Authors as a Form of Advocacy". Ought: The Journal of Autistic Culture. 3 (2). doi:10.9707/2833-1508.1090. ISSN 2833-1508.
  9. ^ Farahar, Chloe (2023). "Autistic identity, culture, community, and space for well-being". In Milton, Damian; Ryan, Sara (eds.). The Routledge international handbook of critical autism studies. Routledge international handbooks (1 ed.). London New York, NY: Routledge (published 2022). ISBN 978-1-003-05657-7.
  10. ^ Cola, Meredith; Zampella, Casey J.; Yankowitz, Lisa D.; Plate, Samantha; Petrulla, Victoria; Tena, Kimberly; Russell, Alison; Pandey, Juhi; Schultz, Robert T.; Parish-Morris, Julia (2022). "Conversational adaptation in children and teens with autism: Differences in talkativeness across contexts". Autism Research. 15 (6): 1090–1108. doi:10.1002/aur.2693. ISSN 1939-3792. PMC 9167260. PMID 35199482.
  11. ^ Autistic Social Advocacy as Accessibility in TRPGs. (2024). RPG学研究: Japanese Journal of Analog Role-Playing Game Studies, 5, 16-20. https://jarps.net/journal/article/view/58
  12. ^ Duffin, Suzanne J.; Bath, Peter A.; Sbaffi, Laura (August 14, 2025). "The role of online groups for autistic people in users' autism information journeys". Journal of Documentation. 81 (4): 1095–1124. doi:10.1108/JD-01-2025-0022. ISSN 0022-0418.
  13. ^ Anderson, Jami L. (August 24, 2025). Contemporary Philosophy of Autism. Oxfordshire, England: Routledge. ISBN 9781041041580.
  14. ^ Williams, Rue Mae (April 25, 2025). ""Ultimately, it's a matter of safety, and resisting ostracization": Understanding Neurodivergent Masking with Online Communities". CHI '25: Proceedings of the 2025 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems.: 1–14 – via Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library.
  15. ^ Pappagianopoulos, Jessica; Brunt, Sophie; Smith, Jessica V.; Menezes, Michelle; Howard, Mya; Sadikova, Elonora; Burroughs, Christina; Mazurek, Micah O. (November 29, 2024). "'Therapy Through the Lens of Autism': Qualitative exploration of autistic adults' therapy experiences". Counselling & Psychotherapy Research. 25 (2) – via Wiley Online Library.
  16. ^ Leahy, Meghan (November 8, 2022). "Advice | My daughter with ADHD often needs to 'info dump.' How do we manage?". Washington Post.
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