Digital stressors: Definition and details
Our expert, Prof. Dr Timo Kortsch, explains the term “digital stressors” for us. The professor of business psychology also outlines the psychological factors and technological mechanisms underlying these stressors.
Digital stressors: Definition
Digital stressors are stress factors that arise from digital technology and digital communication and trigger or exacerbate digital stress. These include, above all, information overload and constant availability (too many emails, chats and feeds), frequent notifications and interruptions, pressure to respond quickly and time constraints, multitasking, and complex or frequently changing tools.
If there are no clear boundaries between work and private life, or if social comparison and FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) come into play, the digital burden increases further.
Psychological factors: how humans “function”
There are fundamental psychological reasons behind our reliance on smartphones and other devices. For instance, we react strongly to new information and small rewards, seek a sense of belonging, and tend to manage our emotions through distraction. At the same time, we’re driven by the fear of missing out.
Typical psychological factors:
These psychological factors would be less effective if digital tools did not specifically reinforce them.
Mechanisms: how digital tools work
Digital tools reinforce the psychological factors by being constantly available, deliberately capturing users’ attention and providing feedback in variable, hard-to-predict patterns.
Typical technological mechanisms:
These factors and mechanisms apply to all digital devices, although they are most prevalent in terms of smartphones. From a psychological perspective, smartphones are highly optimised behaviour reinforcers.
Prof. Dr Timo Kortsch
Professor of Business Psychology at IU International University of Applied Sciences
What causes digital stress?
One cause of digital burnout lies in “constant mental stimulation in everyday life”, explains Prof. Dr Stefanie André, Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences. It is important to note that: it is not digital availability itself that is the source of stress, but rather the expectations, feelings and fears associated with it. The findings of the representative IU study confirm this too.
Digital availability as an obligation
42.2% of employees, apprentices and trainees in Germany are familiar with the feeling of having to be constantly available, both at work and in their private lives. Almost a third even feel obliged to be available outside working hours.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statements?
Excerpts from the statements included in the survey; only the answers “completely agree” and “tend to agree” on a scale of 1 to 4; only respondents who are employees, apprentices or trainees
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Additional findings on stress factors in the workplace can be found in our IU study on leisure sickness.
Many people feel the pressure to meet expectations
More than half of respondents feel that those around them expect a prompt reply to digital messages. And more than a fifth say that: in my circle, it is not acceptable for me not to reply to messages straight away.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “I feel that the people around me expect me to reply to digital messages immediately.”
Excerpt from the statements included in the survey
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “In my circle, it’s accepted that I don’t reply to messages immediately.”
Excerpt from the statements included in the survey
Family and work are the main sources of pressure
In which areas of life is the pressure to be available greatest? The most common responses given by respondents are: family, work and friends. Noticeable here Women (43.3%) cite pressure from family expectations more often than men (35.7%).
Question: In which areas do you feel the greatest pressure to be available? Please select a maximum of three factors.
Top 6 answers
We’re all familiar with message-read confirmations and the anticipation that comes with them, wondering when we’ll finally get a reply. As a result, many people feel not only the pressure to be available but also to respond promptly. This pressure to live up to expectations is particularly high within the family context – especially for women, who in many households still bear the brunt of the mental strain associated with caregiving and day-to-day organisation. This is also supported by the results of the study.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences
More than a third experience FOMO
33.7% of respondents agree that they fear missing out on something important when they are offline. This phenomenon is also known as Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) (see quote below). As many as 48.6% of people aged up to 30 say this – in other words, almost 1 in 2.
Question: To what extent do you agree with the following statement? “I’m worried I’ll miss something important when I’m offline.”
Excerpt from the statements included in the survey
Fear of Missing Out (FOMO) is widespread: more than a third of respondents are affected, and among younger people, it is almost 1 in 2 – this is most likely because they have grown up with social media and are used to receiving information and responses at any time. Social media apps offer constant opportunities to compare ourselves with others, and provide curated glimpses into their lives, thereby creating pressure to ‘keep up’. When we are offline, we fear being left behind socially or missing out on something.”
Prof. Dr Stefanie André
Professor of Health Management at IU International University of Applied Sciences
