Technostress: The Dark Side of Technologies

Abstract

We define technostress as a negative psychological response to the use (and abuse) of technologies, as well as the harmful effects of the implementation of technologies within the workplace. However, despite the relevance of technostress in modern societies, research on the subject is scarce, and so the aim of this chapter is to provide an overview of technostress research that has been recently conducted. In particular, first, we focus on the two most important ways of experiencing technostress, namely, technostrain and technoaddiction. Second, we describe the antecedents of technostress, with attention given to the specific technological demands and the lack of both job and personal resources. Moreover, we also highlight the physiological, psychosocial, organizational, and societal consequences of technostress. Third, the assessment of technostress using the RED Technostress questionnaire is described. Finally, we address the main strategies employed in the prevention and intervention of technostress based on the social and the technical organizational systems.