Technophobia is the irrational fear of technology. Someone suffering from this condition can expect to find themselves extremely fearful of computers, artificial intelligence (A.I.), or any other software or hardware that they deem to be advanced. Technophobia is different from mechanophobia as the former is more of broad fear of technology in general, while the latter is an even more specific fear of machines only.
In some extreme cases, someone’s technophobia may be so intrusive and extreme that they may experience full blown panic attacks which could result in them being hospitalized, depending on the severity of their anxiety. In such a situation, they can expect their heart rate to increase, their rate of breathing to increase, perspiration, shakiness, and muscle tension, among other things.
Technophobia can be a very debilitating condition seeing as how in the 21st century the tech industry is booming and there are no signs of it slowing down any time soon. This is terrible news for people suffering from full blown technophobia. Avoidance is a very common behavior among those suffering from phobias. However, this may not be practical given the widespread abundance of technology which seems to influence nearly every culture worldwide.
Though it may seem impossible for someone with technophobia to truly avoid being near technology, some people with this condition may still decide to move to a very rural area where technology is sparse. Nevertheless, though such a decision may seem productive at face value, the effects of doing so can be quite pernicious given the fact that by actively avoiding their fear of technology they are also simultaneously reinforcing it.
Symptoms of Technophobia
Anxiety will be the main symptom experienced with technophobia as they will find themselves being very fearful of technology on a near day to day basis. As previously mentioned, their anxiety may also be so intrusive that they may even experience a full blown panic attack as a result of it. Though such a phenomenon will not occur every time they experience anxiety from their technophobia, panic attacks are still quite common among people suffering from phobias.
The term technology itself is a very broad term and is defined as the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes, especially in industry. This can be interpreted to mean virtually anything, from an advanced server used to run thousands of businesses worldwide to a pencil used to help 1st graders learn to write their names. Such nuance lends those suffering from technophobia to have many different symptoms insofar as it relates to their specific fears.
Depending on the individual’s genetic makeup, it may also not be uncommon for someone with technophobia to develop additional anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). However, the risk for this will vary greatly from person to person.
Below, you will see some more common symptoms of this phobia:
- Anxiety when thinking of technology
- Anxiety when seeing technology
- Unable to cope with their anxiety
- Muscle tension, shakiness, and sweating
- May experience panic attacks
Causes of Technophobia
There are no known causes of technophobia. However, genetics and one’s environment are likely to play significant roles. For example, if someone has a family history of mental illness, especially of phobias, then they may also have a higher chance of developing technophobia. This likely has to do with them also having a higher chance of being genetically predisposed to developing mental illness in general.
If someone were to have such a genetic predisposition, then it may only require them experiencing some sort of traumatic event for them to develop full blown technophobia. Essentially, any very damaging event that someone experienced which involved technology in some capacity may be enough for someone to develop technophobia (e.g. losing a limb while working with machinery).
Though we do not know the exact reason as to why someone may develop technophobia, the co