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Technostress is the negative psychological link between people and the introduction of new technologies. Where ergonomics is the study of how humans react to and physically fit with machines in their environment, technostress is a result of altered habits of work and collaboration that are being brought about due to the use of modern information technologies at office and home situations.^[1] People experience technostress when they cannot adapt to or cope with information technologies in a healthy manner. They feel compulsive about being connected and sharing constant updates, feel forced to respond to work-related information in real-time, and engage in almost habitual multi-tasking. They feel compelled to work faster because information flows faster, and have little time to spend on sustained thinking and creative analysis.

Craig Brod, 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 computer technologies in a healthy manner."^[2] Some of the earliest technostress scholarly studies in the field of Management Information Systems show that technostress is an undesirable phenomenon spawned by use of computing and communication devices such as PC's, tablets and smartphones. It is dependent on gender, age and computer literacy. Women experience lower technostress than men, older people experience less technostress at work than younger people and those with greater computers literacy experience lower technostress.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[6]

Symptoms and Outcomes

Psychological stress can manifest itself physically. Similarly there are a number of symptoms of technostress. One symptom of technostress is anxiety. Anxiety can appear as: irritability, headaches, backaches, eye strain, neck pain, stiff shoulder, joint pains, mental fatigue, depression, nightmares, panic, resistance, and a feeling of helplessness.The anxiety expressed by those experiencing technostress: suffering insomnia, loss of temper, irritability, frustration and can increase errors in judgement and poor job performance if not dealt with. In the 21st century, people are equipped with technology to better serve the clients and most especially those experiencing technostress. People are h sitting and facing computer monitors for a longer time which results in physical strain. In the 21st century work environment, people must spend eight hours and more a day at work because it is critical to their security, job satisfaction, and increasingly hazardous to their health. In a technological world, providing people with appropriate and safe physical environment is a necessity. Too much exposure to computer monitors is associated with emotional stress, and people are emotionally affected by technostress in their workplaces. Consequences of technostress include decreased job satisfaction, organizational commitment and productivity. A periodic assessment is necessary to check the level of technostress affecting the professionals especially the physical and emotional aspects. Managers should organize technology-based trainings for employees to make them comfortable with technologies and awareness of harmful effects. Technology skills for employees are important to consistently update their technological skills. Institutions, companies, and agencies are needed to employ IT specialist and troubleshooters to maximize system accessibility and provide level of comfort to the employee.

The causes of technostress amount to:^[7]

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

Four Aspects of Technostress: 1. Physical aspects are eye strain, backaches, headaches, stiff shoulders, neck pain, joint pain, dry mouth and throat, muscle tension, stomack discomfort, keyboard related injuries, chest pain, rapid heart rate, irritable bowel syndrome, increased blood pressure, difficulty in breathing, and others. 2. Emotional aspects like irritability, loss of temper, having high state of anxiety when separated from computer monitor, feelings of indifference, frustration, lack of appreciation, depression, guilt, feeling fearful, paranoia that leads to avoiding computers, negative attitudes and others. 3. Behavioral aspects consists of overly comfortable with computers, overspending on computers, insomnia, uncooperativeness and unwillingness, using computer terms in non-computer conversion, smoking, social withdrawal in favor of terminal time, cruising computer stores, drinking alcohol, and others. 4. Pschological aspects composed of information overload to find, analyze, evaluate, and apply it in right context of resources, underwork and routine jobs lead to frustrations when underemployed or when the work done involves only routine operations, job security, where people have afear that computer may replace to human roles, professional jealousy produced by technological competency, demotivation due to prolonged period of any technological activity, uncertainty about job role caused by an increased time working with technology.

There are five conditions that are classified as "technostress creators":^[3] “Techno-overload” describes situations where use of computers forces people to work more and work faster. “Techno-invasion” describes being “always exposed” where people can potentially be reached anywhere and anytime and feel the need to be constantly connected. The regular work-day is extended, office work is done at all sorts of hours, and it is almost impossible to "cut away". “Techno-complexity” describes situations where the complex computer systems used at work force people to spend time and effort in learning and understanding how to use new applications and to update their skills. People find the variety of applications, functions, and jargon intimidating and consequently feel stressed. “Techno-insecurity” is associated with situations where people feel threatened about losing their jobs to other people who have a better understanding of new gadgets and computing devices. “Techno-uncertainty” relates to short life cycles of computer systems. Continuing changes and upgrades do not give people a chance to experience at a particular system. People find this unsettling because their knowledge becomes rapidly outdated and they are required to re-learn things very rapidly and often.

Coping Strategies

Technostress can be dealt with.

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
Foster sharing of computer related knowledge within the organization
A responsive and easily reached help-desk can allay managers’ anxiety and concerns, guide them in using and familiarizing with new computer applications and assure them in case of problems
Keep employees “involved” in the general scheme of things in the context of new computer systems. The more involved and familiar they are, the less techno - stressed they would be
Encourage people to “experiment” and innovate in the context of computer use
Encourage employees to communicate, discuss, and share their knowledge about computers

Ways to eliminate technostress are:^[4]

conduct stress management activities to lessen and eliminate the problem of technostress
exercise like deep breathing, and yoga or tai chi
progessive muscle relaxation
stay healthy and proper diet
take frequent break
listening to music
stay calm
maintain a sense of humor
meditation
counseling
time management
job rotation
take a technology time-out
establish a teamwork relationship
balance positive and negative thoughts
awareness of technostress
positive self talk and recognize that technostress is natural

Notes and references

^ Sami, Lalitha Krishna; Iffat, Rabia (2010). "Impact of Electronic Services on Users: A Study". JLIS.it (University of Florence) 1 (2). doi:10.4403/jlis.it-4523. Retrieved 28 June 2013.
^ Brod, Craig. Technostress: The Human Cost of the Computer Revolution. Reading, Mass: Addison Weslety, 1984.
^ ^a ^b Tarafdar, M., Ragu-Nathan, T.S., Ragu-Nathan, B. and Tu, Q., The Impact of Technostress on Productivity, Journal of Management Information Systems, Summer 2007
^ ^a ^b Ragu-Nathan, T.S., Tarafdar, M., Ragu-Nathan, B. and Tu, Q., Consequence of Technostress in End Users: Conceptual Development and Empirical Validation, Information Systems Research, December 2008, 19, 4, 417-433.
^ Tarafdar, M, Tu, Q., Ragu-Nathan, T.S and Ragu-Nathan, B.S. Crossing over to the “Dark Side”: Examining Creators, Inhibitors and Outcomes of Technostress, Communications of the ACM (Contributed Research Article), September 2011.
^ Maier, C., Laumer, S., Eckhardt, A., and Weitzel, T. Giving too much Social Support: Social Overload on Social Networking Sites, European Journal of Information Systems (EJIS). doi: 10.1057/ejis.2014.3.
^ Ennis, Lisa A. "The Evolution of Technostress." Computers in Libraries, Sept. 2005, 10-12.

Bachiller, R. T. (2001): Technostress among library staff and patrons of the U. P. Diliman libraries. University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Caguiat, C.A. (2001): Effects of stress and burnout on librarians in selected academic libraries in Metro Manila. University of the Philippines, Diliman.

Dimzon, S. (2007): Technostress among PAARL members and their management strategies: a basis for a staff development program. PUP, Manila.

Riedl, R., Kindermann, H., Auinger, A., Javor, A. (2012): Technostress From a Neurobiological Perspective: System Breakdown Increases the Stress Hormone Cortisol in Computer Users. Business & Information Systems Engineering, Vol. 4, No. 2, pp. 61–69.

Riedl, R. (2013). On the Biology of Technostress: Literature Review and Research Agenda. The DATABASE for Advances in Information Systems, Vol. 44, No. 1, pp. 18–55.

Riedl, R., Kindermann, H., Auinger, A., Javor, A. (2013): Computer Breakdown as a Stress Factor during Task Completion under Time Pressure: Identifying Gender Differences Based on Skin Conductance. Advances in Human-Computer Interaction, Volume 2013, Article ID 420169.

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
Technostress in Social Networking Sites

English Journal

The dark side of technologies: technostress among users of information and communication technologies.

Salanova M, Llorens S, Cifre E.Author information Department of Social Psychology, University Jaume I, Castellón, Spain. salanova@uji.esAbstractThis paper tests the structure and the predictors of two psychological experiences of technostress associated with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), i.e., technostrain (users report feelings of anxiety, fatigue, scepticism and inefficacy beliefs related to the use of technologies) and technoaddiction (users feel bad due to an excessive and compulsive use of these technologies). The study included a sample of 1072 ICT users (N = 675 nonintensive ICT users and N = 397 intensive ICT users). Results from multigroup confirmatory factor analyses among non-intensive and intensive ICT users showed, as expected, the four-factor structure of technostrain in both samples. Secondly, and also as expected, confirmatory factorial analyses revealed that technostress experiences are characterized not only by technostrain but also by an excessive and compulsive use of ICT. Moreover, multiple analyses of variance showed significant differences between non-intensive and intensive ICT users (1) in the dimensions of technostress and (2) in specific job demands and job/personal resources. Finally, linear multiple regression analyses revealed that technostrain is positively predicted by work overload, role ambiguity, emotional overload, mobbing and obstacles hindering ICT use, as well as by lack of autonomy, transformational leadership, social support, ICT use facilitators and mental competences. Work overload, role ambiguity and mobbing, as well as the lack of emotional competences, positively predict technoaddiction. Theoretical and practical implications, in addition to future research, are discussed.
International journal of psychology : Journal international de psychologie.Int J Psychol.2013;48(3):422-36. doi: 10.1080/00207594.2012.680460. Epub 2012 Jun 25.
This paper tests the structure and the predictors of two psychological experiences of technostress associated with the use of information and communication technologies (ICT), i.e., technostrain (users report feelings of anxiety, fatigue, scepticism and inefficacy beliefs related to the use of techn
PMID 22731610

The incidence of technological stress among baccalaureate nurse educators using technology during course preparation and delivery.

Burke MS.Author information Southeastern Louisiana University, University of Phoenix, 4849 Essen Lane, Baton Rouge, LA 70809, USA. mburke@selu.eduAbstractThe concept of technology-related stress was first introduced in the 1980s when computers became more prevalent in the business and academic world. Nurse educators have been impacted by the rapid changes in technology in recent years. A review of the literature revealed no research studies that have been conducted to investigate the incidence of technological stress among nurse educators. The purpose of this descriptive-correlational study was to describe the technological stressors that Louisiana baccalaureate nurse educators experienced while teaching nursing theory courses. A researcher-developed questionnaire, the nurse educator technostress scale (NETS) was administered to a census sample of 311 baccalaureate nurse educators in Louisiana. Findings revealed that Louisiana baccalaureate nurse educators are experiencing technological stress. The variable, perceived administrative support for use of technology in the classroom, was a significant predictor in a regression model predicting Louisiana baccalaureate nurse educators' technological stress (F=14.157, p<.001).
Nurse education today.Nurse Educ Today.2009 Jan;29(1):57-64. doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2008.06.008. Epub 2008 Aug 9.
The concept of technology-related stress was first introduced in the 1980s when computers became more prevalent in the business and academic world. Nurse educators have been impacted by the rapid changes in technology in recent years. A review of the literature revealed no research studies that have
PMID 18694615

A virtual therapeutic environment with user projective agents.

Ookita SY, Tokuda H.Author information Tokuda Lab, Graduate School of Media and Governance Keio University, 5322 Endo, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa, 252-8520, Japan. yuudra@mag.keio.ac.jpAbstractToday, we see the Internet as more than just an information infrastructure, but a socializing place and a safe outlet of inner feelings. Many personalities develop aside from real world life due to its anonymous environment. Virtual world interactions are bringing about new psychological illnesses ranging from netaddiction to technostress, as well as online personality disorders and conflicts in multiple identities that exist in the virtual world. Presently, there are no standard therapy models for the virtual environment. There are very few therapeutic environments, or tools especially made for virtual therapeutic environments. The goal of our research is to provide the therapy model and middleware tools for psychologists to use in virtual therapeutic environments. We propose the Cyber Therapy Model, and Projective Agents, a tool used in the therapeutic environment. To evaluate the effectiveness of the tool, we created a prototype system, called the Virtual Group Counseling System, which is a therapeutic environment that allows the user to participate in group counseling through the eyes of their Projective Agent. Projective Agents inherit the user's personality traits. During the virtual group counseling, the user's Projective Agent interacts and collaborates to recover and increase their psychological growth. The prototype system provides a simulation environment where psychologists can adjust the parameters and customize their own simulation environment. The model and tool is a first attempt toward simulating online personalities that may exist only online, and provide data for observation.
Cyberpsychology & behavior : the impact of the Internet, multimedia and virtual reality on behavior and society.Cyberpsychol Behav.2001 Feb;4(1):155-67.
Today, we see the Internet as more than just an information infrastructure, but a socializing place and a safe outlet of inner feelings. Many personalities develop aside from real world life due to its anonymous environment. Virtual world interactions are bringing about new psychological illnesses r
PMID 11709904

Japanese Journal

(1) From Technostress to Technohealth(BF Lecture)

バイオフィードバック研究 35(2), 107-114, 2008-10-25
NAID 110006967267

視知覚疲労感の個人評価のための疲労推定モデル

感性工学研究論文集 7(4), 849-857, 2008
NAID 130001756542

企業のIT化と人間力の形成

目白大学経営学研究 5, 37-48, 2007
NAID 110006458948

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