Information Overload Is Leading To Stress And Anxiety For Irish Workers

A workshop at NUI Galway today will examine the effects of information overload on Irish workers.

Speakers will outline alarming ways in which overuse of social media is detrimental to a person's mental health and will advise on ways in which workers can switch off.

Topics such as addiction, anxiety and depression, privacy violation, stress, information overload, and work-family conflict will all come under scrutiny.

Dr Eoin Whelan, Lecturer at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics said:

“We are delighted to be hosting this workshop the dark psychological impacts of social media in the workplace.

Social media plays an increasingly significant role in our experience of work. But what we need to remember is that unintended consequences arise when we begin to use new communication technologies.

For example, email was initially used by scientists to share important information across geographically boundaries. But now we email people sitting a few metres away with information that is often not very important.

We are only beginning to understand the unintended consequences of social media use in the workplace. The line-up of international speakers will discuss state-of-the-art knowledge on how social media is affecting the psychology and physiology of workers. We particularly welcome industry practitioners to the event.”

‘The Dark Psychological Impacts of Social Media in the Workplace’ takes place today at the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics in NUI Galway.