What is Technostress?

Looking forward to a vacation or holiday so that you can put down your phone? If your answer is yes, then you might be suffering from social media “technostress” — a type of stress that a person experiences due to his or her use of information systems.

The constant stream of messages, updates and content that social media apps deliver right to our pockets can sometimes feel like a social overload, invading your personal space and obliging you to reply in order to maintain friendships.

You might think that the correct (and obvious) response should be to put down or switch off your phone. But that might not be that easy.

...we have recently published research showing that, when faced with this pressure, many of us end up digging deeper and using our phones more frequently, often compulsively or even addictively.

Conventional wisdom implies that when people are faced with a stressful social situation, for example, an argument with someone – they cope with the stress by distancing themselves. They take a walk, go for a run, play with their kids. But when the stressful situations stem from the use of social media, we find people tend to adopt one of two very different coping strategies.

How do we avoid technostress, then?

More details of this topic over at The Conversation.

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