Stress and Technology

I made the prediction at the start of this project that technology is a major cause of stress. To analyse this I asked the following questions:

How does this apply to me? Where do I see this in my life?
What can I do about this?
What factors are connected to it?
Who are the stakeholders?
Who do we blame?
How can we fix it?
How has this changed over time?

Here is my end conclusion: 
I have discovered that technology is a cause of stress. I see examples everyday: from school to my friends and even within my family. As technology has changed in our society, stress levels have also begun to increase. There are many things and people connected to this problem such as individuals, large and small companies and even society in general. Even as this is a large problem that influences everyone, there really is no body that can be blamed. Even though there are no ways to target a responsible party, there is still a fix. The best solution is simply to promote change, and encourage people to remember not to rely to heavily on technology.

Why is this the biggest problem in the world? 
This problem is become more significant as technology improves. As technology spreads to each part of life, stress from technology will become much more prevalent. This is the biggest problem in the world only because it is taking over every part of human life.

Technologically Stressful Work

My dad, Mark Mannard, works in the IT department of South King Fire and Rescue. His job is to analyse, repair, install and test all the technology that is used by the whole department. Some days he will test small technology like in the picture above, but more than often he is working on larger projects like replacing all the radios, and reprogramming technologies to the rigs.

According to dad, working in technology fields can defiantly cause stress. He says that not only is it a lot of work to learn and teach all the new technology. Also, dad said that there are a lot of deadlines and that people always seem to want the job done 'right now.' According to logic previously communicated in this blog, technology causes people's lives to speed up which is part of the stress my dad encounters at work.

Cyber-bullying

I can't believe that I didn't think about this form of technology stress until now! Cyber-bullying has become a much bigger problem as technology advances. The effects that this form of bullying had are much like the resulting feelings of any other kind of bullying.

Cyber-bullying definition: a form of bullying (a repeated action that causes harm to an individual, may it be intentional or not) that occurs using technology such as social media, instant messaging, email or other digital resources.

According to Dosomething.org here are 11 facts about cyber-bullying:

Here is my analysis of cyber-bullying:

Cyber-bullying is one of the worst outcomes of advancing technology. It has both an emotional and physical impact on the individual. Emotions that are produced include angry, frustration, sadness and depression. All of these feelings fall under the category of stress. Because of the severity of the emotional impacts, it also may wear down the person physically.

As technology has improved, the commonality of this type of bullying has also become more prevalent in our society. Which in turn has majorly increased world wide stress levels.

"11 Facts About Cyber Bullying." Do Something. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.dosomething.org/tipsandtools/11-facts-about-cyber-bullying>.

Technology Stress Statistics

Gilbert, Jason. "WiFi, The Cloud Top Survey Of Most Stress-Inducing Concepts In Tech: Virgin Digital." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 24 July 2012. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/24/wi-fi-cloud-top-sress-in-tech-survey_n_1697987.html>.

Technology Addiction # 2

Below are anonymous quotes taken from students facing "technology withdrawal" of only 24 hours. Each quote demonstrates a stressful tone as a result of their addiction. 

"I felt so lonely... I could not sleep well without sharing or connecting to others."

"I felt so uncomfortable and insecure."

"The anxiety and loneliness inside me were growing. I could hardy concentrate."

"I panicked." 

"I felt like there was a problem with me." 

Chu, Elbert. "Students and Technology: Addiction or Education? [Infographic] | WiredAcademic." WiredAcademic RSS. WiredAcademics, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.wiredacademic.com/2011/08/students-and-technology-addiction-or-education-infographic/?wprptest2=2>.

Technology Addictions # 1

Overuse of technology is one of the biggest contributors of stress due to technology. As technology usage increases, the resulting stress will increase as well. 

"School Leaders Use Controversial Brain Surgery to Cure Ed-Tech Reform Addiction."Around the Corner. Blogger, 30 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 May 2013. <http://www.mguhlin.org/2012/12/school-leaders-use-controversial-brain.html?m=1>.

Technology Connects Chemistry of Stress

There is an exception to every rule. This article does not support my idea of technology causing stress, but connects the two in an unexpected way. 

The article "technology can reduce our stress, too" presents new technology that can create a map of the brain to determine how an individual manages stress. The procedure creates stressful situations for the testee and then the device monitors the reaction of the brain. Although stressful in the immediate moment, this gives the person an idea of how they react to stress, and how they can manage that stress. 

Enayati, Amanda. "Technology Can Reduce Our Stress, Too." CNN. Cable News Network, 01 Jan. 1970. Web. 21 May 2013. <http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/05/health/enayati-technology-reduce-stress>.