The director recently spoke to the press about his fear of technology. How does this phobia materialize? Does this affect many people? Answers.
There is phobias that are found in many peoplelike l’arachnophobieaka spider phobia, or even claustrophobiawhich results in fear of enclosed spaces. Others are much rarer, like la xanthophobie which concerns people who have afraid of the color yellow.
In the digital age, new phobias have emerged. The most problematic is technophobia and she would concern Tim Burtonthe famous American filmmaker. The director of Beetlejuice and of The Nightmare Before Christmas recently spoke to the BBC on this somewhat original fear. He even says he is depressed when he uses the Internet. And when we talk about artificial intelligence, the producer describes it as “something” that he “can’t even understand”. More what exactly is technophobia?
What is technology phobia called?
Technology phobia is therefore called technophobia. According to the Le Robert dictionary, the term designates “who is hostile to new technologies”. He therefore mentions a fear, aversion or rejection of modern technologies and their implications in daily life. This can manifest itself in a variety of ways, whether it bea fear of electronic devicescomputers, the Internet or innovations, such as artificial intelligence and robotics.
Technophobia can arise from worry about rapid change,a lack of familiarity with new technologies or fears concerning loss of control, protection of privacy and social and environmental impacts.
What is a technophobe?
A technophobe is simply a person who has developed a phobia of new technologies.
The causes of the latter are often multiple and can be influenced by psychological, social and cultural factors. Some technophobic people fear that technologies like AI are a threat to jobs, and this creates distrust and/or anxiety in them. Another reason that explains the development of this fear: fear of environmental consequences. Technologies that consume fossil fuels or other natural resources such as water present a threat to the environment. Finally, some technophobic people, like Tim Burton, fear that one day robots and AI will take the place of humans.
“AI takes something from your soul or your psyche; it's very disturbingespecially if it has anything to do with you. It's like a robot took your humanity, your soul.”he shared in 2023.
Technophobia: how many people in France?
There is no specific data relating to the prevalence of technophobia in France. On the other hand, data from 2018 indicates that 6.3 million people 12 years and over (11 %) never connect to the Internet, which may reflect a form of technophobia, reluctance to use digital tools, but above all a digital divide.
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