Authors Weil and Rosen are concerned about the large number of people--perhaps as much as 30 to 40 percent of the population--who are excluded from the benefits of online life and cyberculture. It's not economics or geography that keeps them away but computerphobia or other aspects of technostress. Weil and Rosen point out how only 10 to 15 percent of people are eager to adopt new technologies. About another 50 to 60 percent need to have its value proven first. The rest are resistant--even fearful--of new technology.
Unfortunately, the means used to attract these people often end up repelling them instead. They are told that things are easy when they are only intuitive for those with related experience. Personal help, whether from classes or friends, almost always comes from the 10 percent who are technophiles and don't know how to communicate with the technophobic. In addition, too many manuals and books are poorly constructed or designed for enthusiasts.
However, Weil's and Rosen's experience is that even computerphobes can become confident computer users in just five hours or less when taught with appropriate techniques. In Technostress, the authors look at where stress due to technological advance comes from and how it can be overcome. They examine the problems caused by conflicting learning styles. They also discuss the stresses computers can cause in the home, where suddenly it's the child rather than the parent who's always right, or in business, when machines that are put in place to aid productivity cause stress-related problems instead. Weil and Rosen offer a variety of solutions to these problems based on realistic approaches to education and training, as well as an understanding that not every new technology is necessary for everyone.
Upside, Eric Nee
TechnoStress, by Michelle Weil and Larry Rosen, is essentially a self-help book for people who panic at the sight of computers. The authors are clinical psychologists and experienced computer users who, despite their frequent criticisms of computer products and their impact on our lives, are not Luddites. Think of them as comparable to Clifford Stoll (hacker, MSNBC commentator and author of Silicon Snake Oil)--but not as funny. Despite some excesses, most of the book stays on level ground, providing tips for making life easier in the information age. These include online etiquette; how to develop an online ego; how to place limits on the intrusion of pagers, cell phones and remote e-mail into your personal life; how to develop a policy for the use of technology by your children; and how to decide when to upgrade products based on your needs rather than vendors' push to sell.
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