Most people are familiar with hoarding and the psychological issues associated with it. Hoarding leads to messy, cluttered homes and difficulty parting with items that you don’t use and don’t even need. But hoarding can also occur in the digital realm.

大多数人对于囤积症和与之相关的心理问题都不陌生。囤积意味着生活空间过度拥挤、杂乱无序，不愿丢弃不能使用甚至不需要的物品。但是，囤积症也会发生在数字领域。

Digital hoarding, also known as e-hoarding, data hoarding or cyber hoarding, is excessive acquisition and reluctance to delete electronic material no longer valuable to the user. Digital files, folders, music, movies, computer programs, and even the “friends” we keep on social media are also forms of digital clutter.

数字囤积也被称为电子囤积、数据囤积或网络囤积，指的是过度获取以及不愿删除对用户不再有价值的电子材料。数字文件、文件夹、音乐、电影、电脑软件、甚至那些社交媒体上的“好友”都是各式各样的电子囤积堆。

Researchers have categorized digital hoarders into 4 different types, as per their characteristics.“Collectors” are organized, systematic and in control of their data. “Accidental hoarders” are disorganized, don’t know what they have, and don’t have control over it. The “compliant hoarder” keeps data on behalf of their company. Finally, “anxious hoarders” have strong emotional ties to their data — and are worried about deleting it.

研究人员依据数字囤积者的不同性格特点将他们分为四类。“收集者”是有组织、有系统地控制着数据。“意外囤积者”是无组织的，他们不知道自己拥有什么数据，也无法控制它。“听话的囤积者”为公司保存数据。最后，“焦虑的囤积者”与他们的数据有着强烈的情感联系，他们删除数据会很焦虑。

As hoarding is often associated with anxiety and insecurity, addressing the source of these negative emotions may alleviate hoarding behaviours. Workplaces can do more here, by reducing non-essential email traffic, making it very clear what information should be retained or discarded. In doing so, companies can help workers to avoid the compulsion to obsessively save and store the bulk of their digital data.

囤积行为往往和焦虑、缺乏安全感有关，因此，处理好这些负面情绪可能会缓解囤积行为。在这方面公司可以做得更多些，比如减少发送非必要的电子邮件，向员工明确哪些信息可以保留，哪些可以安全删除。通过这种方式，公司能够有效地帮助员工避免强迫性地储存过量电子数据，减少数字囤积。

On the other hand, part of the problem is that it's so easy to accumulate electronic data. Our phones have an incredible amount of storage space compared with just five years ago, and thanks to cloud storage, we can effortlessly store a mind-boggling amount of data without even paying for it. Therefore, it is important to organize and pare down your digital files.

另外，这个问题还有一部分原因是储存电子数据越来越便捷。与五年前相比，现在智能手机的储存空间大大增加，如今又出现了云储存，我们甚至不花一分钱就能轻松地储存海量数据。因此，学会有序管理和删除电子文件非常重要。

Digital hoarding can show itself in many ways but when it causes anxiety or issues with organization and productivity then it needs to be addressed. Digital clutter can be draining and stressful for some people. By organizing and getting rid of useless files in a regular way, people with this problem can ease some of their distress and declutter their own mind as well.

数字囤积症的表现形式有很多，但当它给人们带来焦虑或影响组织力和生产力时，就需要我们加以解决。对于一部分人来说，数字混乱可能会让人感到疲惫和有压力。通过定期整理和删除无用文件，能够帮助数字囤积者减轻焦虑情绪，也能让他们的头脑更加清醒。

1. hoarding n. 贮存；聚藏

2. cluttered adj. 杂乱的；凌乱的；挤满的

3. part with 舍弃

4. compliant adj. 顺从的；百依百顺的；俯首帖耳的

5. traffic n. 信息流量；通信（量）

6. discard v. 丢弃

7. mind-boggling adj. 令人难以置信的；令人惊异的

8. pare down 减少；削减

9. draining adj. 使枯竭的；使筋疲力尽的

10. declutter v. 清除；清理