When the fear of technology speaks louder – Tecnoblog (Blog)

Maybe you’re reading this post on your smartphone, on the way to work. When you get home, you may want to order food via app while choosing a film in the Netflix . You decide to take a peek on Facebook and see the notification of a party for tomorrow. These scenes should be routine for you, no? But know that many people have chills just thinking about these modernities. The phenomenon even has name:. Technophobia

It may seem comical thing that people develop fear of handling a smartphone or connect a PC. But it is not. Who has technophobia lives a routine escape from everything that seems very advanced. Besides the anxiety it causes, there are losses on the day, the individual may simply not be able to withdraw cash at an ATM or spend a ticket on the subway lock, for example. The good news is that, as in almost any phobia, no treatment.

What is technophobia?

As the name implies, technophobia is the persistent fear of technology, explaining fast mode. People suffering from the pathological point of view problem often develop frameworks of anxiety when they have to confront a technological artifact.

It is common, for example, the person being afraid to break the computer by pressing the improper key or one not understood notification mobile indicates that she is doing something wrong there. The fear of being evaluated by others due to the difficulty of using a device – such as ATM or POS credit card – is also frequent

These situations are so stressful that, very often, the person develops a strong aversion to technological devices, reaching justify their position with arguments like” this is a thing of devil “or” humanity is so because of that. “

causes of technophobia

Amazingly, technophobia is not a recent phenomenon. Throughout the development of societies, all Disruptive technology presented some daredevil effect. In agriculture, for example, where there are fears about the replacement work of the human or animal by machines. The use of electricity in industrial centers, cities and homes was also surrounded by fears.

Some degree of anxiety, distrust or resistance to new technologies is normal. We are scheduled to be careful with all that is unknown. After we get used to the idea, the admiration and the desire to have or use that technology prevails.

However, in many people, fear only intensifies, leading to a framework that can be characterized as technophobia. And there is one reason for this. The causes may involve cultural, religious, social, intellectual, psychological, ideological and so on.

tractor in place of animal work: an idea that has faced much resistance

Calestous Juma, professor of science, technology and international relations at the Kennedy School at Harvard, spent 16 years studying the resistance to technological changes over history. The result of this Search is the book Innovation and Its Enemies: Why People Resist New Technologies (Innovation and its enemies: why people resist new technologies, in free translation) even without the Portuguese version.

in the work, Juma reports four main types of reasons (there are more) for resistance to innovation. The first is the intuitive response to novelty. As an example, the power, when unusual in society, was seen as a serious threat to life, even more than the fire, whose forms of control were dominated.

Another factor is personal interests, such as fear of losing the job to a machine or a product type stop being sold due to the emergence of another. Here, resistance is not due to the new, but the potential loss of perception

The third is probably what most manifest nowadays:. Intellectual challenges. A person may have more difficulty to master a new device or technology can be employed so intensely that it is seen as an affront to nature: a production line that has only robots, for example, can convey an idea of ​​”dehumanization “.

Finally, there is the behavioral factor: a business model that It changes the way we deal as certain everyday situations can be understood as a threat. For instance, many people question the safety of cell phone use to pay bills instead of doing it in the bank box.

Note that there is legitimacy in all the arguments. That’s good: all technology can have its bad side, so the questions are important for there to be reasonable, balanced and safe adoption. Problems arise when, regardless of the reason, there is no opening for discussion or study of these aspects. This resistance may end up leading to a technophobia frame.

What can be done?

Information is the best medicine for any behavior that is characterized as technophobia. If a person seeking to understand the benefits of the technologies that it repels, will find it easier to accept it: it will no longer see there a threat or affront. As a result, it will also have more willingness to learn to use the new.

At times, relatives, friends and people close play a crucial role. It is common for older individuals, for example, have trouble assimilating new technologies, but that does not mean that they suffer from intellectual disabilities or who can no longer learn. Probably they just need more time. The speed with which disruptive technologies currently present is more intense. For many, it is simply difficult to keep pace.

Patience, therefore, is essential. Explain calmly and repeat the information several times, if necessary, can make an elderly or less educated person feel comfortable to learn how to use the phone or the remote control of the new TV. It is also important to have patience with people who take longer to use the ATM, enter the card password in the market box , go through subway lock, anyway.

I have an elderly neighbor who had real fear of using debit or credit card. He used checks for life, but it is becoming smaller the number of stores that accept this form of payment, which often made boring.

When I explained the reasons for the card to be safer, he showed me the fear of entering the object the wrong way in the little machine or press the wrong button. So I instructed to enter the password slowly and, if necessary, ask the person in the box insert the card into the machine. It worked. Today, he uses a good card. Sometimes a simple conversation is enough.

But, before the realization that you can not escape the use of certain equipment, many people may have palpitations, dizziness, irritability, shortness of breath, among others. classic signs of anxiety. For these cases, expert help may be the most appropriate:. There are therapies for this, such as those that expose the person gradually objects and modern systems to help her lose the fear of technology

Developers, designers and the like can also do their part by creating pages, applications and more intuitive devices.

the only issue can not be treated with disdain. The technophobia, in its various varieties, is a strong mechanism for social exclusion. Think of how limited may be the life of a person who can not withdraw money from a terminal, apply for a job (many companies only accept resumes through the Internet), operate a new machine at work, call the son via cell phone and so on.