TECHNOSTRESS

noun Also written techno-stress (Health and Fitness) Stress arising from working in a technological environment (especially with computer technology); a psychiatric illness whose main cause is difficulty in adapting to new technology. Etymology: Formed from techno- (the combining form of technological) and stress. History and Usage: Technostress was first identified in the US in the mid eighties, as people's working environments were changed out of all recognition by the technological revolution. In 1984 US psychologist Craig Bord devoted a whole book to the subject, subtitled The Human Cost of the Computer Revolution. A person suffering from technostress is described as technostressed or even technostressed out; both terms can refer either to problems of adaptation, or simply to the special stresses of spending the day at a computer which might fail. In California, psychologists recommend electrobashing (literally taking one's frustrations out on a computer) to release these tensions. An assortment of 'technostressed-out' humans delighted in hurling malfunctioning televisions, telephone answering machines...and video cameras off a balcony to oblivion. The Times 18 May 1990, p. 1 Throughout modern society, humans are enslaved by the machines that seem to empower them. Symptoms include paranoia, fatigue, low self-esteem, flagging libido, anxiety, headaches, and over-stimulation. Collectively, they are 'technostress'. The Australian 29 May 1990, p. 47