Arrrggghhh.Com Holiday Gadgets Can Produce High-Tech Stress
Christmas came and went. You finally have that beeper and digital cellular phone to instantly connect to almost any place, from anywhere, at any time. Your spouse got a new laptop computer with a built-in fax, and the kids are joining the online generation with Internet access.
These wondrous tools will surely revolutionize your life. But maybe not all the changes will be for the better, according to two psychologists who say many consumers come to feel more like the slaves than the masters of their fax machines, VCRs and voice mail.
Some of us resist technology, while others are becoming obsessed with it. We don’t know how to draw the line between work and home, because portable computers, cell phones and faxes can erase the boundaries. And most of us - even the savvy elite - at times feel intimidated, incompetent and overwhelmed by the demands of the Information Age, says psychologist Michelle M. Weil.
“The commercials and ads make technology look easy to use, that it will seamlessly integrate into our lives, and it is just not true,” said Weil.
For 15 years Weil and her husband and fellow psychologist, Larry D. Rosen, have researched the effects of technology on people. The Orange, Calif., residents have taken their findings and written a book of advice for consumers, “Techno-Stress: Coping With Technology (at)Work (at)Home (at)Play.”
Here is how to make smarter use of technology, say Rosen and Weil, and how to avoid the hazards:
The ‘I’m Dumb’ Impulse
The first mistake consumers make with new technology is to try to master everything at once, says Weil.
A typical scene: Your new wide-screen TV has picture-in-picture, but no matter how you connect the cables, it simply won’t work. Meanwhile, the kids are yelling that there is no sound coming from the computer when they run their “Star Wars” game. And your spouse is cursing the new “smart” microwave, which just scorched the turkey leftovers.
Time out.
“With each new gadget we purchase, we need to be aware that we will experience frustration, intimidation or stress just learning how to use it,” says Weil. “Things happen that we didn’t anticipate.”
Learning to use technology is just like learning math for the first time, she says. “It takes repetition and practice, trial and error.”
She recommends trying to learn how to use one device at a time. And, especially if you are hesitant or resistant to working with technology, it is a great idea to learn with someone else.
When things don’t work, or we simply can’t master all the functions, we feel inadequate and stressed. The “I’m dumb” impulse.
Weil points out that researchers have found that most people use only 35 percent of any technology’s capability.
“With a VCR, most people use it to play rental movies, and only a small subset want to learn how to tape shows at a different time,” says Weil. “It is important for consumers who have new tech toys to realize that, even though that cell phone may have hundreds of features, you as a consumer may only need it to make calls in case of an emergency. Consumers need to feel fine just using the part of the technology they want.”
Loss of boundaries
Stop. Before you start handing out the number for that shiny new beeper or cell phone, set some ground rules for those who will be calling you.
“We all used to have boundaries that structured us, the workday world was 8 to 5, and we knew when we were on and off,” says Weil. “With today’s communications technologies, you can go home and check voice mail, e-mail, log on to work or bring work home on disk. Work invades the home boundary, and family concerns can intrude on the workplace.”
Even if technology enables you to do something, the key question, experts say, is whether you should do it.
Information obsession
Drawing that line is getting more and more difficult for the average consumer, especially when it comes to communicating and using that entrancing new medium, the Internet.
“Some people feel they have to be in contact all the time. They compulsively check their e-mail and voice mail every 20 minutes. They become addicted to the new media,” says Weil.
John Krill might be described as an Information Age junkie: He subscribes to electronic mailing lists that deliver him daily and weekly news summaries; he uses PointCast, which dispatches news flashes to his desktop; and he frequently trolls the Internet for topics that fit his interests, such as digital photography.
A recent Reuters survey documented the rise of what it called “dataholics,” people addicted to information. The survey of 1,000 international business people said 53 percent admitted to craving information and 54 percent claimed to get a “high” when they find what they have been seeking in an electronic search.
“When the information is endless, it is tough to set limits,” says Weil. “It used to be you would go to the library, and just had four hours, so the time limit decided how much was done. But when the information is endless, it is tough to set limits. It is very stimulating to search the Web.”
The Reuters survey found many people, including “dataholics,” often feel overwhelmed by all the information at their disposal and worry that their children are turning into info-junkies, too.