Techno Stress

Now there’s even a name for it! You know the feeling—the irritation we feel as our boundaries are constantly invaded by beeps, pages and cell phone conversations. Or the pressures we feel to keep up with the constantly changing tools and technology. A CNET Television segment shown in June, 2000 defined techno stress as a mental health issue that comes from trying to do too much the majority of the time.

The average worker in the United States deals with a staggering 189 messages a day. Add to that the unreliability of computers, the confusing technical jargon, and the need to complete a variety of tasks under pressure, and you have a recipe for disaster. ¹

From email to voicemail to hours browsing the Net, the products of the technological revolution are taking many of us hostage. While these modern conveniences are meant to help us stay connected, they also make it tempting to work around the clock, which may be contributing to a new phenomenon called techno stress. No one escapes it. Even the techno-savvy feel techno stress. ²

Another way of looking at it is that we count on our machines to do so much that when something goes wrong with our technology, we are thrown into a tailspin. According to Drs. Weil and Rosen, "People allow themselves to be sucked into this technological abyss, and in doing so they become more machine-oriented and less sensitive to their own needs and the needs of others.³

I was on the Web conducting research for this handout when the Web decided to freeze on me. I clicked on a hot link, my modem sent out a signal and… nothing. After less than a minute that felt more like an hour, I hit "Stop" and clicked the link again. Nothing. Stop, click, nothing. Stop, click, nothing. I could feel my blood boil and my teeth tighten. A deadline was looming and my technology wasn’t doing what it was supposed to do. It was frustrating knowing the information I needed was a hot link away and, for some reason over which I had no control, I couldn’t reach it. As I pouted like a child on the verge of a temper tantrum, it hit me: I was experiencing first hand what I was researching—Techno Stress! ⁴

Technosis

Some people become so immersed in the technology that they risk losing their own identity. Symptoms of technosis, according to Drs. Weil and Rosen, include overdoing work and never feeling finished, believing faster is better, and not knowing how to function successfully without technology. ⁵

People with these symptoms may feel or experience:

• "Helplessness" in the face of stressors, i.e., "stressed out" or unable to cope
• Somatic (body/physical) complaints
• Loss of sleep and lack of concentration
• Inability to change the way they perceive the environment or manage their interactions with it⁶