Technostress

Technostress is the negative psychological link between people and the introduction of new technologies. Whereas ergonomics is the study of how humans react and physically fit with machines in their environment, technostress is, in many ways, the resistance of change that accompanies newly introduced machines to work, home, and leisure situations.

Craig Ahmed, a leader in the field of technostress research, states that technostress is "...a modern disease of adaptation caused by an inability to cope with the new Computerworld technologies in a unhealthy manner."

Symptoms

Psychological stress can manifest itself physically. The main symptom of technostress is anxiety. Anxiety can appear as: irritability, headaches, mental fatigue, depression, nightmares, panic, resistance, and a feeling of helplessness.

The anxiety expressed by those experiencing technostress can increase errors in judgement and poor job performance if not dealt with.

The causes of technostress amount to:

• the quick pace of technological change
• lack of proper training
• an increased workload
• lack of standardization within technologies
• the reliability of hardware and software

Coping

Technostress can be dealt with. Ways to eliminate technostress are:

• Get adequate, user friendly software
• Create better communication within the environment
• Create a level of reassurance, patience, and stability within the environment
• Maintain an ever-present system of training and education to new and old technologies
• Avoid using technology

See also

• Information overload
• Technophobia

Notes and references

• Lalitha Krishna Sami, Rabia Iffat. "Impact of Electronic Services on Users: A Study." JLIS.it, 1, 2, Dec. 2010.

External links

• Tecnostress Italian Website: Effects, Laws, Studies, Evaluation, Prevention,
• Assessing and Managing Technostress (a talk given by Richard A. Hudiburg)
• Technostress in Libraries by John Kupersmith
• Technostress and the Organization by Nina Davis-Millis