Today in 2020 it’s seen as a nightmare to go on without technology like computers, mobile, ICT (Information Communication Technology) , technology tools. But centuries ago we wouldn’t have thought or even dreamed imagined a day would come where we would have robots serving in restaurants and hospitals and have reaching communications with a person who is 3000 miles away within seconds. While creating and pushing our boundaries did we ever fall under the spell of them?? 

Today, a day won’t go by without using any technological invention. Have you ever felt stressed out by using them?? 

Then that feeling of stress that is unsettling in you is termed as Technostress.

YESS YESS !!

There is something like that in existence… 

It was termed way back in 1988 by Craig Brod. I think this concept is very apt for this period. Then and now humans are paying for the computer revolution.

LET’S ASK OURSELVES AND DECIDE:

Did the technology we made for our use in return make us their slaves?? 

Did today’s technology advancement make us work more and faster than required??

Did technological tools (social media especially) make you feel “always exposed” and where you feel the need to be constantly connected irrespective of place and time 

Did the feeling of FOMO ( fear of missing out) created in you over the period?? 

Did the endless options growing with day by day create FOBO?? ( fear of better options) 

Did the constant evolution of new technologies and tools create feelings of insecurity?? 

Did the change and need to be upgraded in the eyes of society instill a feeling of uncertainty?? 

Did these complex technologies force you to spend endless resources in learning and understanding the new usage of applications?? 

Did the ever-growing field of technological applications scare you?? 

Did the constant furtherance in them create role ambiguity?? Role ambiguity occurs when individuals are unclear or uncertain about their expectations within a certain role, typically their role in the job or workplace.

Then take a step back and watch yourself closely if the introspection of the above questions has answers as yes!!. Then you’re under the spell of technostress. And you didn’t realize that till now!.

THE SPELL: 

Technology which is created for our usage and to make our work easier. While achieving that process did we give in and make it rule ourselves??? This is a creepy realistic situation we are all under and we are not realizing it. 

Researches say that the constant feeling of Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) induces anxiety, extreme dissatisfaction and has damaging effects on both physical and mental health such as loneliness, extreme social anxiety mood swings, feelings of inferiority, reduced self-esteem, increased levels of negativity, inducement of hate towards people and lastly it is leading to depression. It is also seen that usage of antidepressants increased sharply due to FOMO. And this feeling combined with the feeling of having constant exposure to the world leads to Techno Invasion, one of the components of Technostress.

The usage of human wonder (technology) made the individuals more efficient and productive both at work and at home. But this same is coming at a cost to the potential increase of stress induced by it and this is constantly causing overload.  That is known as Techno Overload. 

The complex technologies and tools and applications force people to spend endless resources both materialistic and also put in effort in learning and understanding the use of the new applications. This also made people feel insecurity towards their jobs with other people leading towards unbalancing job satisfaction and role ambiguity. This whole leading to people who are in the IT industries having frequent burnouts which cause emotional exhaustion, ineffectiveness and in some cases leading to extreme cynicism towards their incapabilities in the workplace. The continuous changing of technology makes the users feel uncertain and unsettling because the change in technology is like ‘ today’s invention is tomorrow’s history’ and continuous need for upgrading creates anxiety among the users. 

DAMAGING OUTCOMES OF THE SPELL:

Technology now is becoming a stressor which we are overlooking almost completely. It’s the psychological stress which is mediating between technology and mental health. Technology as a stressor is taxing humans in various environmental conditions. And this stressor is making people change from their mental and physical routine and allowing individuals to adopt maladaptive coping strategies leading the individuals to have damaging behavioural, physical, emotional outcomes.

The proof of biomarker studies has hit the human conscious as its results show that the technostress creators have associated with increased activation of stress system leading this to the biological link of the release of stress hormones such as a change in the levels of serum of different hormones which include cortisol, CRH, catecholamines and thyroid hormones.

Stress as a reaction of an individual to a situation isn’t always bad but then the stress which comes as a reaction to a demand where a person can not possibly deal with and this overarching demand is staying in for over a period its effects are adverse. The same way goes for technostress because it makes us be on toes to complete work, stay alert on presentations and make the individuals work as a team to overcome the deadline. But today’s fast-moving and competitive nature of the world is taking a big toll on the individuals in the workplace and also in the academic institutions and it is being often processed as an emotional roller coaster. The long hours, ever-increasing demands, never-ending new updates and new applications and new tools, tight deadlines are making the individual not able to meet the demand and this is turning out to be a stressor. 

But in today’s hectic world, the workplace too often seems like an emotional roller coaster. Long hours, tight deadlines, and ever-increasing demands can leave you feeling worried, drained, and overwhelmed. And when stress exceeds your ability to cope, it stops being helpful and starts causing damage to your mind and body—as well as to your job satisfaction.

Here are our quick TECHNOSTRESS reduction TIPS :

  1. Manage your own time better with productivity techniques
  2. Implement time tracking and productivity monitoring software
  3. Limit screen time outside of work, especially two to three hours before bed
  4. Streamline your messaging
  5.  Decrease your availability
  6. Avoid media multitasking

The use of technology has allowed individuals to become more productive and efficient both at work and at home. But there is a cost to this potential increase in productivity in the form of technology stress. The overlook of this becoming to be a root cause for many mental health issues and physical issues. At the same time, the negative psychological impacts like Distress (Physical) have subsequent consequences like stress related illnesses (Viz. Blood Pressure, Psychological Depression, overall well being etc) . These are caused by the same unmanaged “Technology” which is ever changing. 

This is a major stressor in this competitive, upgrading and fast moving world which  should not be underestimated.

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