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![[Do you suffer from technophobia?]](24lead.gif)
Tuhina Misra
Some find it hot, others think it's too hot to handle. An increasing number of people have an aversion towards anything related to technology. Experts call this 'technophobia'. For those in the dark, this FAQ should help.
Q. What is technophobia?
A. Technophobia is the term used to describe any feelings of fear, discomfort, or anxiety towards one or more forms of technology. It is an acknowledged medical condition that could arise on account of health doubts, privacy threats, and conflicts with religious or moral values. People suffering from the ailment are also sometimes referred to as Luddites, a group who are fighting back against technology. The word 'Luddites' was first used during the Industrial Revolution, to describe those who feared machines displacing humans in the labour force.
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Q. How does one recognise a technophobe?
A. If someone you know breaks into a sweat the minute a computer is switched on, it could mean technophobia. Technophobes usually experience mild to severe anxiety, frustration, and self-doubt. Doctors say that 'technostress' may also be directly related to technophobia, adding that children and older adults are usually the sufferers.
Apparently, children are more affected when their teachers suffer from the affliction. Surprisingly, up to 85 per cent of us could be uncomfortable, to one degree or another, with technology.
Q. What are the types of technophobes?
A. There are two kinds: the cognitive and anxious. The former are more common and are completely repulsive to the use of technology in any field. Anxious technophobes react to the drawback on a physical level. There is also a third type, a combination of the cognitive and anxious kinds.
Q. Can one measure the depth of damage caused by the ailment?
A. Yes. There are three measuring instruments that can help assess the mental state of technophobes -- the computer anxiety scale, computer thoughts survey and general attitude towards computers scale.
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Q. Okay, I'm a technophobe. What do I do?
A. Dealing with the situation is necessary, simply because computers and technology are here to stay. You could start by recognising and accepting that there is a problem, before getting down to tackling it in a systematic way. There are lots of resources online that could help make this easy.
Start by reading how Larry Johnson overcame his fear of computers. There are also Web basics, like HTML, designed specially to help technophobes. Firms can also help employees work on their fears by providing adequate training.
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