How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

The Research

Research completed by many other notable professionals has determined that technology doesnt

cause stress by simply using it, but from the social media on it. The main idea that social media

is a factor is something that one can agree with because it adds to stress but not to be agreed with

is that it is the only factor about technology that is stressful. [Their] study explores the

relationship between a variety of digital technology uses and psychological stress. [They] asked

people an established measure of stress that is known as the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The

PSS consists of ten questions and measures the degree to which individuals feel that their lives

are overloaded, unpredictable and uncontrollable, and [They] also asked very specific

questions about users networks and what people do on that platform (Hampton, Rainie, Lu,

Shin and Purcell, 2015). From their study, this study has been created to try to learn how stress

isnt only related to social media but all technology. It is quite clear that technology has changed

the human code, as we free ourselves from the shackles of efficiency, we are more able to seek

out value. The reality of modern life is that we are all uploading old patterns to the cloud to make

room for new ones. The choices we make are our own. (Satell, 2013). Technology has changed

how we go about daily life, as Marc Andreessen a very big presence in Silicon Valley, puts it

You are cruising along, and then technology changes. You have to adapt. Technology forcing

people to change their patterns has to be stressful and from these tests soon to be shown, it will

be discovered how stress plays a role in the usage of all technology for every person.

The stress of technology wont be the same for everyone, there are so many varying levels of

technology users and putting all of them in one box is a useless waste of time. The study

Hampton, Rainie, Lu, Shin and Purcell completed has flaws. First, the test used a PSS (perceived

stress test), these tests ask ten questions about the last thirty days, in determining the stress of
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

social media. Instead of using a monthly test I will be using daily stress tests to accurately

monitor each day. If one asked you to think back on your last thirty days, it would be challenging

to remember the first weeks and the ones you would remember would be the weeks or days

closest to the end of the thirty. This creates inaccurate measurements of stress due to participants

remembering better days rather than worse or worse rather than better. Another flaw with the test

is the categorization of people. The researchers separated genders but the study should have

separated genders and how they use technology. For example: male and high usage, female and

high usage, male and low usage, female and low usage, etc. Anyone who has used some sort of

technology, you will have felt some stress at some point or still will, the tests provided will

discover how often you feel that stress when using any technology.

The Mayo Clinic outlines the effects of stress:

Indeed, stress symptoms can affect your body, your thoughts and feelings, and your

behavior. Being able to recognize common stress symptoms can give you a jump on managing

them. Stress that's left unchecked can contribute to many health problems, such as high blood

pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes.

Common effects of stress on your body

Headache
Muscle tension or pain
Chest pain
Fatigue
Stomach upset
Sleep problems

Common effects of stress on your mood

Anxiety
Restlessness
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

Lack of motivation or focus

Feeling overwhelmed
Irritability or anger
Sadness or depression

Common effects of stress on your behavior

Overeating or undereating
Angry outbursts
Drug or alcohol abuse
Tobacco use
Social withdrawal
Exercising less often

The main purpose of this project is to understand how stress is related to the usage of

technology. Other researchers have stated that, Stress is not associated with the frequency of

peoples technology use, or even how many friends users have on social media platforms.

But there is one way that peoples use of digital technology can be linked to stress: Those

users who feel more stress are those whose use of digital tech is tied to higher levels of

awareness of stressful events in others lives. (Hampton, Rainie, Lu, Shin and Purcell,

2015). This statement is false and this research proves it wrong. From the article, Stress by

Generations there is a graph (#1) of average stress levels compared to healthy stress levels.

The participants answered two questions:

1. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 means you have little or no stress and 10 means you

have a great deal of stress, how would you rate your average level of stress during

the past month?

2. On a scale of 1 to 10 where 1 means you have little or no stress and 10 means you

have a great deal of stress, what would you consider a healthy level of stress?
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

The results detail that the millennials, or youngest group have the highest stress levels at a 5.4 of

a possible 10. The same age group has the highest technology usage depicted in the graph (#2)

provided by the PEW Research Center on their Media Factsheet. These graphs aid in proving

that stress and technology usage are closely related, mainly for millennials (18-29 years of age).

Graph 1
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

Graph 2

The reasoning behind the tests of this project are as follows:

Daily stress tests better evaluate stress levels

The days of the test are the days of highest technology usage; Saturday, Sunday

and Monday

The participants varying levels of technology usage

The content of interview questions completed before, and during testing

As outlined earlier in the paper, the previous research experiments put on by Keith

Hampton, Lee Rainie, Weixu Lu, Inyoung Shin and Kristen Purcell used Monthly stress tests or

better known as the PSS. These tests dont provide accurate readings and therefore shouldnt be

used in tests.

The days chosen are believed to be some of the greatest times for technology usage. Saturday

and Sunday, both days typically big for spending time with friends and making plans via social

media. Monday not generally as high, but still known to be the day one catches up on other

friends weekend hangouts and what they did for fun. The days were meant to be times of high

technology usage so as to get the highest stress levels possible and the best readings of it on the

scales.
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

The people participating in the experiment have varying levels of technology usage, to show that

not everyone uses it as frequently or for long periods of time. There are two female high usage,

one female median usage and one male high usage. The varying levels show more diversity than

putting all users in one category. Also, the research has more credibility if not everyone is

grouped in one classification.

The questions included in the interview completed before:

1. Roughly how many hours do you spend using technology on a daily basis? And what
types of tech are you using?

2. Do you ever feel stressed using technology? How so?

3. Do you ever feel tied to your technology? (I.e. Phone, Computer, etc.)

4. What are you looking forward to during the 3 day technology cleanse?

5. What are you least looking forward to during the 3 day technology cleanse?

6. Do you think you will change your technology usage habits after the cleanse?

These questions got a feel for each participants technology usage levels and a vague

understanding of how stress may affect them normally without any time away from their

devices. They also completed a PSS (attached below) to understand how stress affects

them monthly as opposed to daily, as the stress tests during the experiment did.

The questions included in the interview completed during the experiment:

1. Do you agree with the hypothesis today? Why or why not? (Hypothesis: Technology can
be closely tied to stress, not just from seeing other peoples stress but from the usage.)
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

2. What technology did you miss the most today? And why?

3. What was one or more task(s) you couldnt complete today without technology?

4. What has been the best part of no technology today? Why?

5. At this point in time, do you think stress has affected you more or less today? Why or
why not?

The participants also completed a daily stress test (attached below) to understand if they

experienced stress more, less, or if at all on that day.

How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?
How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

In some ways technology helps people to escape stress, but only later creates more for them by

robbing their time previously. Dont mistake the ideas of this paper as technology creates stress

every moment you use it, but that it creates it occasionally and situationally and it will hopefully

be discovered what triggers those high stress levels through these questions, tests/scales of stress

and the research of notable others.

How is Stress Related to the Usage of Technology?

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