Definition

An infodump is an informal term for someone sharing a lot of information at once. It is a common autistic behavior and typically revolves around a topic that the presenter is passionate about (aka a special interest). Among neurodivergent people, an infodump is seen as a love language. The person providing the infodump is showing the other person that they care about them. The following is my inference on why they are a common behavior among autistic people.

Why do I think they happen?

Hyperfocus

Autistic people tend to get hyperfocused, sometimes on learning a topic. These topics are usually referred to as a special interest and can become a major area of the person’s life, constantly thinking about it even when engaged in other activities. It can be so intense, that the person may forgo regular activities such as socializing, eating, and self-care. They can be that interesting to them. Imagine how interesting a topic has to be for you to start cutting out normal areas of your life. Seeing how this topic brings them pleasure and gratification, they would like to share it with others given the opportunity.

Bottom-Up Processing

We use bottom-up processing. We understand details before we understand the whole. Before accepting that there is a forest, we need to know what the trees are. Therefore, it is difficult for us to understand the whole picture only. As an example, the Russian Revolution happened because of Lenin and communist ideology. But why? Who is Lenin and what is communist ideology? Lenin was a Russian revolutionary and communist ideology was a social-political philosophy and prescription for social relations. But why did he become a revolutionary and why did they create and promote communism? On and on…until I’m learning about the Mongols taking Moscow in the 1200s. Did you know that one of the reasons the Mongols were so effective was because they promoted military personnel based on merit and not class? Moving on…

Confusion

Personally, the world is quite confusing to me. People say things they don’t mean and there are contradictions everywhere. For example, the speed limit on I-95 in Florida is 70 mph. Anyone going over that speed is violating the law and if caught, a State Trooper is directed to issue the speeder a citation or worse. Yet, the vast majority of vehicles on I-95 are going over 70 mph! What is happening?! I guess maybe neurotypicals have an understanding that if everyone is doing something, then that is the rule; it’s part of how they create truth by collectively agreeing to it. To me, the explicitly stated rule is the rule. Since there is this glaring contradiction, I’m left wondering, “What other rules aren’t rules?” Boom! This results in a desperate need to learn everything about driving, to include the history of cars, transportation infrastructure, traffic enforcement, traffic cultures throughout several states and countries, the process on how traffic laws are created, etc. Basically, I’m trying to figure out what is really going on so I know how to predict and behave. Notice that this is a simple example based on just one contradiction that nearly everyone in Florida experiences without much thought. Imagine how many contradictions I see everywhere in my life. The social world is a huge collection of contradictions between what is stated and what occurs. Nothing makes sense. I imagine other autistic people experience the same.

Meaning

Here I am confused as to what the hell is happening with traffic, so once I figure it out, I want everyone else to know. Shoot. If someone would have told me about it before I went desperately learning about it, I would have been so happy and appreciative. Me telling someone else is me saving them all the confusion and effort into researching this topic. I basically did all the work and am giving it out for free without expecting anything in return. It’s an act of service. But, it also works as a way to connect. We are sharing a collective understanding just like neurotypicalss, just this one is quite detailed. It’s also like empathy. We both understand and feel the same way about something. That is quite connecting and validating. Additionally, I’m proud that I was able to understand this confusing situation. I’m demonstrating that I bring value and contributions to others.

So, an infodump isn’t just information. It’s an act of service, connection, validation, and establishing my value to a social group. In fact, this very post is an infodump doing just that. I’m providing effort into helping the moderators and future users to help this community, connecting with others on our experiences and perceptions of infodumps, validating that infodumps are a love language, and demonstrating that I can contribute to this community. Feel the relief of congruence, ahhhhhhhhh.

Ending

Ok, I’m done. This is my explicit social cue that I have finished my statement. Thank you.