Technofears

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A term that encompasses anxieties or concerns about the effects of technology on society and individuals
2. The apprehension regarding the potential consequences and changes technology may bring to human life
3. Describing a collective unease about how technological advancements might disrupt social norms and personal interactions

Etymology: "Technofear" is a plain compound: "techno-" joined to "fear." The first element comes from Ancient Greek "tékhnē," meaning craft, skill or art, which gave English a whole family of combining forms such as "technology" and "technical." In "technofear," "techno-" works as a shorthand for technology in general, so the word names the dread that new machines and systems can provoke. The second element has a much older pedigree. "Fear" descends from Old English "fǣr," meaning sudden danger or calamity, which traces back to Proto-Germanic roots. In its earliest sense the word pointed to a sudden threat rather than a feeling held inside the mind, a meaning that survives in the older phrase "for fear of," where the word still carries something of its original sense. "Technofears" is simply the plural of "technofear," used when the word refers to several distinct anxieties about technology rather than one general feeling.