In the middle of the coronavirus pandemic, technology has been the glue holding society together, but not without repercussions.
Technology has allowed people to stay connected with family and friends, as well as work from home. However, online communication can be harmful and not equivocal to in-person contact.
Spending all day on a computer or phone is damaging to a person’s quality of life.
The rise in internet activity has made users of online platforms targets for criminal activity or harassment and the increased accessibility that technology creates makes it hard to disconnect from work or school.
The technologically dependent environment students and employees now operate in causes a phenomenon
called “technostress.”
According to a 2010 peer-reviewed article from the International Research Journals, technostress is “a modern disease of adaptation caused by an inability to cope with the new technologies in a healthy manner.”
A large part of the population is experiencing a stressful transition after being forced to learn how to use Zoom to carry on with their lives.
What was once a simple in-person task now takes several steps to complete remotely.
A teacher cannot simply walk up to help a struggling student or write out problems on a whiteboard. Now they have to learn to operate Zoom to teach and replicate the functionality of a classroom.
The constant scrutiny and demanding nature that technology allows is unnerving for users.
In a June 9 article from the National Center for Biotechnology Information, technostress is also caused by employees having to be available at all times, constantly keeping digital devices around and coping with stressful multi-tasking.
The constant focus on a smartphone is exhausting and chips away at employees who are always anticipating emails or messages from supervisors who now have direct access to workers at all times thanks to technology.
A substantial number of people have needed to increase their online presence which has opened the door for criminal activity and harassment.
According to the same National Center for Biotechnology Information article, many users are beginning to rely extensively on digital resources for the first time and are now targets for fraud and scams.
The article explains how the pandemic created an unsafe scenario for internet users that has invited fraudsters to exploit the crisis situation by extracting money or information through online means.
It is not limited to scams and fraud. Video meetings, like Zoom calls, can be vulnerable and they have been infiltrated by uninvited guests who harass hosts and attendees, sometimes with traumatizing content.
According to a June 10 article from Vice, “Zoom Bombing” has increased just as the number of Zoom users has increased.
The same article said incidents range from seemingly harmless disruptions, including celebrities appearing in college classes, to more disturbing altercations like anti-Semitic groups who infiltrated an online Holocaust memorial and broadcasted images of Adolf Hitler.
Although technology has given people the ability to connect, it has allowed people with malicious intentions to troll others online.
Technology has allowed students and workers to continue on with their jobs and school work but has also made them vulnerable to online attacks.
Many people have discovered the harsh reality of how draining a constant virtual presence can be for both physical and mental health.
