PC rage: a growing psychological problem in home and office

If you have ever felt like screaming, abusing and/or harbouring thoughts of doing grievous bodily harm to your PC, don't worry. These emotions definitely don't make you a minority of one.

On the contrary, more and more PC users share your taut sentiments, though the degree of intensity may vary, according to recent findings by Symantec, the Internet security solutions provider.

There is even a new term for the malady - "PC rage" - a clone of the more widely known "road rage". It is becoming increasingly commonplace as PC users grapple with slow Internet reaction times, machines freezing or sudden, destructive virus attacks.

"The research not only confirms the growing reliance on PCs and the frustration experienced when they crash or freeze, but also that PC rage is real and that it can have a detrimental effect on our working lives," said Robyn Weeda, Symantec's marketing communications manager for the Middle East and Africa.

The company based its findings on polls conducted in the UK, Australia and South Africa in the past year. More than half of those polled reacted to computer problems with verbal and even physical abuse.

Six out of ten employees reacted with multiple reactions: 64 per cent admitted to either witnessing or using multiple forms of abuse on their PC, including screaming and hitting, while a further 25 per cent swore.

Among extreme cases were those who threw coffee at the machine or washed it. There were also PC users who were completely overwhelmed by the situation, and fell prey to panic attacks or just broke down.

"These findings are merely the tip of the iceberg and more intensive research is required to determine the full extent of the problem. Unless the IT industry addresses this issue soon, computer rage is set to get worse."

In the UK poll, a third of the respondents admitted not knowing how to tackle the problems when they arose, and, consequently, experienced loss of productivity or wasted time. According to a UK based psychologist, increased computer usage in the workplace correlates directly with the increase in workers' stress-related complaints.

More pertinently, "employees' professional and personal lives are suffering, from swearing at their PC, to actually kicking the equipment or pulling the plug, frustrations with IT are changing the working environment as we know it."

California-headquartered Symantec has launched an online survey in which PC users can discover whether they have PC rage, and find useful links to deal with it. Users can measure their level of PC rage on www.pcrage.co.za - provided, of course, the machine you are using does not crash.