There are many phobias in the world, i.e. varieties of fear of certain objects, phenomena, words, etc. However, with all the usual fear of closed spaces or the number 13, you will not surprise anyone. The age of modern technology dictates its own rules, including those regarding phobias, which also "keep up" with technological progress. What phobias have appeared in the dictionary in recent years? What have social networks, computers and digital technologies led to fear? Estet-portal will talk about this in this article.
We live in a world of our own fears. Fear of closed space, darkness or heights – yesterday. Today, people are driven crazy by Internet trolling, a forgotten smartphone, or the lack of likes under photos on social networks. We tried to penetrate into the world of modern man's phobias and identified 7 phobias-consequences of STP.
Nomophobia
Have you ever forgotten your mobile phone at home or in the car? If at the same time you experienced discomfort, anxiety and a feeling of fear, it is highly likely that you suffer from nomophobia – plague of the 21st century. The term comes from the English phrase «no mobile phone» and translates as the fear of being left without a mobile. Scientists identified this disease in a 2008 study that showed that 66% of every 100 people experienced panic fear, being left without means of communication. They tried to constantly check missed calls, messages and emails.
It should be noted that in 2008 the era of touchscreen smartphones with fast Internet access has not yet begun. And if then more than half of the population suffered from a phobia, now the disease must have spread to everyone. Try to test yourself: turn off your phone for at least one day.
Cyberphobia
The personal computer – is the main companion of life in the modern world, therefore the appearance of fear of a computer or cyberphobia is quite natural. If nomophobia – a disease of the young, cyberphobia is more common among older people who are forced to master new technology.
Doctors identify the following symptoms of cyberphobia:
- a person is extremely careful with a PC;
- speaks negatively about computers;
- avoids computers.
A strong degree of phobia is even accompanied by physical reactions: dizziness and nausea. In the treatment of cyberphobia, you will need the help of a qualified psychologist and the support of relatives. You can independently carry out daily prevention: spend several hours at the computer.
Socionetophobia
It is also the fear of social networks – a modern version of the fear of persecution, which manifests itself in the fear of having an account on social networks, as it can be used for blackmail or surveillance. It does not have to be special services, it is enough that people from the inner circle – family members, clients or superiors can get acquainted with personal data.
Socionetophobia, however, is easy to treat. According to psychologist Jay Byer, the patient needs to create an account that would fit his comfort zone, for example, in a group with the same hobbies.
Trollophobia
Every Internet user is familiar with the concept of a troll. And everyone knows that it is not worth feeding them, banning them is useless, the easiest way is to just ignore them. However, the active growth of the troll population in recent years has caused a backlash – trollephobia or trollparanoia. The patient is sure that all readers, commentators, participants of his blog or portal – trolls whose target – ruin the project. Hence the desire not to attract too much attention and the desire for anonymity.
Unfortunately, there is no cure for trollephobia yet. Psychologists recommend trying not to succumb to provocations – don't "feed" the trolls.
Imojiphobia
One of the brightest examples of modern fears, which appeared as a result of the spread of social networks, instant messengers and chats. A person suffering from imojiphobia is afraid that he will be misunderstood, or that he has "inappropriately" put a smiley face or sticker that is familiar to everyone. Imojiphobia can hardly be called a serious mental disorder, it is just a new form of psychosis, which is selective and temporary. It is believed that every Internet user has a little imojiphobe: often in online communication you have to conduct official and personal correspondence at the same time, not everyone has time to quickly switch from a representative tone to a friendly one.
Selfiophobia
This phobia, despite its comical nature, has already sent its first victim to the hospital. At the end of March 2014, 19-year-old Briton Daniel Bowen was hospitalized after spending six months without leaving his home in search of the perfect selfie (photo taken personally on a mobile phone). The guy took 200 photos every day – he was expelled from school, he lost a lot of weight, and, in the end, decided to commit suicide. Fortunately, he did not succeed in the latter. Such are the consequences of selfophobia.
According to doctors, the selfie concern is a serious psychological problem of our time, which necessarily requires medical intervention. By the way, Danny Bowen was cured after he was weaned from constantly using a smartphone.
Treadophobia
The meaning of the word thread in this context – branch from the comments in social networks. Phobia, respectively, is expressed in the fear of commenting, for example, expressing one's opinion. A person suffering from threadophobia is usually shy even in life, only online this is aggravated, because if a comment suddenly turns out to be out of place, insults and criticism will fall.
Psychologists prescribe anonymity for such patients: try to create an account on behalf of a fictitious character in order to overcome the internal barrier. The main thing here is not to go too far, so as not to hit the Internet trolling. Remember, if you shock the public, it will more likely cause hatred than recognition.
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