Cognitive Inflation: A Formal Analysis of Epistemic Devaluation in Information-Saturated Environments

Cognitive Inflation: A Formal Analysis of Epistemic Devaluation in Information-Saturated Environments | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Cognitive Inflation: A Formal Analysis of Epistemic Devaluation in Information-Saturated Environments Rodrigo Laera This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9255100/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In information-saturated environments, the exponential growth in data availability paradoxically diminishes the value of knowledge through what we term “cognitive inflation,” the systematic devaluation of epistemic units due to attention scarcity. We develop a formal mathematical model demonstrating that the value of knowledge varies inversely with the volume of information, that cognitive inflation rates equal information growth rates, and that marginal epistemic utility approaches zero as information proliferates exponentially. Empirical validation through two case studies reveals annual cognitive inflation rates of 3.6% in scientific publishing (with institutional gatekeeping) and approximately 11.4% in social media (minimal filtering), corresponding to knowledge devaluations of 51.3% and 79.7%, respectively, over their observation periods. The nearly four-fold difference in inflation rates demonstrates that institutional quality controls significantly moderate, but cannot eliminate, epistemic devaluation. Our analysis addresses three substantive objections regarding historical precedent, attention augmentation, and epistemic relativism, arguing that contemporary cognitive inflation differs qualitatively from previous information challenges and requires institutional reform rather than technological optimization. Philosophy cognitive inflation information overload epistemic value attention economy knowledge devaluation algorithmic mediation Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9255100","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":613865621,"identity":"672c1648-c88a-4a4e-a41b-c16e5347cc2c","order_by":0,"name":"Rodrigo Laera","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6UlEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACA4YEBgYZMPMDELOxE6mFB8RinAHSwkyMFgaoFmYISUC9eXvztg8Pftnw8Lf3Pvxs82ubPB8zA+OHjzm4tcicOVY8I7EvjUfizHFj6dy+24ZtzAzMkjO34dYiIZFjzJDYc5iH4UYag3Ruz21GoBY2Zl5itMjff8b827Lntj1xWhJ+HOYxuMHGJs3w43YiYS08x4oZEhvSeAzPpLFZ9jbcTm5jZmzG7xf25s2MP/7YyMkdP8Z848ef27bz25sPfviIRwsYMLahMBgbCKgHgT8YjFEwCkbBKBgFCAAA4RNL28aLG0cAAAAASUVORK5CYII=","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5132-7631","institution":"CONICET","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Rodrigo","middleName":"","lastName":"Laera","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-03-28 20:29:34","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9255100/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9255100/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105904095,"identity":"8f5fbc8f-94b3-4fd6-a2ad-9dcd0ae2c2d2","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-01 10:04:00","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":548884,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"CognitiveInflation2.0.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9255100/v1_covered_64735e11-87b3-4ce8-b862-52c84350b176.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eCognitive Inflation: A Formal Analysis of Epistemic Devaluation in Information-Saturated Environments\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"CONICET","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"cognitive inflation, information overload, epistemic value, attention economy, knowledge devaluation, algorithmic mediation","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9255100/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9255100/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eIn information-saturated environments, the exponential growth in data availability paradoxically diminishes the value of knowledge through what we term \u0026ldquo;cognitive inflation,\u0026rdquo; the systematic devaluation of epistemic units due to attention scarcity. 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