Hello and welcome to Episode Forty of Page Turn: the Largo Public Library Podcast. I'm your host, Hannah!
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The English Language Transcript can be found below
But as always we start with Reader's Advisory!
The Reader's Advisory for Episode Forty is Ninefox Gambit by Yoon Ha Lee. If you like Ninefox Gambit you should also check out: Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie, The Traitor Baru Cormorant by Seth Dickinson, and The First Sister by Linden A. Lewis.
My personal favorite Goodreads list Ninefox Gambit is on is Space Operas About Rebelling Against Imperial Powers That Involve Body Snatching and Are Gay.
Happy Reading Everyone
Today’s Library Tidbit is on technology anxiety!
You may have noticed that we do a lot of programs at the library geared toward learning a new device, gadget, database, or software. The reason we do this is to provide a relaxed, small group environment with a knowledgeable staff member who is able to give some closer attention and answer questions as they come up. We think this is important because many many people today have technology anxiety.
There are actually two different types of technology anxiety. There is the anxiety that is an effect of both what we are seeing on our screens combined with a need to constantly be checking our screens, and there is the anxiety someone feels when they attempt to use technology they are unfamiliar with. Today’s tidbit is on the second type of technology anxiety. We may discuss how technology can add anxiety and stress to our lives at a future date.
Technology anxiety is not a new concept. Back in 1987, Larry Rosen, Deborah Sears, and Michelle Weil wrote a paper titled Computerphobia in the journal Behavior Research Methods, Instruments, & Computers, that looked into the, then just called, computer anxiety of university students. Now that we have more technology than just computers available for personal use the term has evolved, but the general concept has stayed the same.
I feel like most people are familiar with what anxiety is and feels like. However, just to make sure that we all understand what the type of anxiety I am talking about in this tidbit. Anxiety is intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear. Technology anxiety is when a person has intense, excessive, and persistent worry and fear about technology. This can manifest itself in different ways, but the most common ways this anxiety presents is with a raised heart rate, change in body temperature, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty concentrating, difficulty thinking and forming thoughts, difficulty in making short term memories. Some people will have more of the physical symptoms and some people will have more of the cognitive symptoms.
Either way as you can guess the effects of technology anxiety do not help people learn how to use technology, which is one of the way people can lessen their technology anxiety.
If you have ever been handed a new device or logged into a computer and not recognized what was on the screen and gotten immediately worried and afraid? You’ve experienced technology anxiety. Everyone has this to some degree, but if the anxiety is so large that you cannot learn new technology on your own you should come in and take one of our classes!
There’s no reason to feel ashamed if you experience technology anxiety. It’s extremely common and you are probably doing better with technology than you think you are. If you experience technology anxiety when you need to sit down to do something with technology that makes you anxious take a few deep centering breaths first. Deep breathing is proven to lower your heart rate, which helps lower anxiety.
Some technology topics the library has classes on in August include, iPads, Apple watches, ebooks, Android tablets, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and Library databases.
