The Sociology of Stress Chapter 2

“Americans are the most entertained and least informed people on the planet.” -Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Present Shock: Narrative Collapse: Life events reduced to tweets, loss of the bigger picture Digiphrenia: Be in more than one place with social media Overwinding: Getting less done, reducing big-time scales into small ones Fractalnoia: Media grazing, jumping to conclusions with incomplete info

Sociology The study of human social behavior within families, organizations and institutions; the study of the individual in relationship to society as a whole.

Technostress Expectations of immediate gratification with communication response Guilt feelings not responding in time Stress responding to emails Pressure to update/refine online profiles Anxiety being alone/not connected Privacy concerns Other aspects?

Technostress Information Overload Boundaries Privacy Ethics Less Family Time Computer Dating Wi-Fi Stress Generational Divide Other Aspects

Civility The practice of good manners and appropriate behaviors.

Behaviors of Incivility Rudeness Sarcasm Being pushy Arrogance Apathetic Defensiveness Aggressiveness Impatient Selfishness Dishonesty Clueless

Occupational Stress The American Institute on Stress reports that 80% of workers report feeling job- related stress resulting in burnout, absenteeism, and presenteeism.

Occupational Stress Lack of job security Too much responsibility Unrealistic expectations Corporate downsizing Inadequate training Lack of appreciation Inability to voice concerns Lack of creativity and autonomy Do more with less: few resources Lack of clear job description Commuting and traffic difficulties Inadequate childcare Sexual harassment/discrimination Workplace violence