This whole article seems to me to be a reductio ad absurdum of its central claim, that our needs for social connection and self-actualization explain Internet a

This whole article seems to me to be a reductio ad absurdum of its central claim, that our needs for social connection and self-actualization explain Internet addiction. Basically the author claims this and then spends the rest of the article showing how his addiction to the Internet prevents him from having more social connection and self-actualization. So no, information overload is not part of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. Rather, avoiding it is.