The Mental Health Consequences Of Technological Issues: Exploring The Microsoft Outage
On July 30th, 2024, a Microsoft outage occurred that caused system crashes, power outages, and difficulty accessing critical services. This outage impacted thousands of people, with some individuals experiencing mental health consequences. Understanding how the outage may have affected mental health can be validating and may lead to an understanding of ways to move forward healthily. It may be possible to cope with technological issues by spending time with loved ones offline, practicing self-care, and working with a licensed mental health professional.
Understanding the 2024 Microsoft outage
The most heavily impacted services were the Azure services and some of the Microsoft 365 programs. This crash occurred due to a cyberattack and hacking attempt, which blocked the usage of Microsoft’s products.
Microsoft services are used by businesses and individuals worldwide, and some people could not access crucial, life-saving services during the outage. For example, neonatal units in hospitals were unable to use their systems to monitor the heartbeats of ICU infants, which led to nurses having to provide 24/7 monitoring.
The London Stock Exchange also experienced outages, which affected computers necessary for tracking stocks. Airlines like United and Delta struggled to book tickets and had to cancel flights.
On July 18th, less than two weeks before this outage, a CrowdStrike software update also impacted technology worldwide. CrowdStrike is a cybersecurity company and not part of the Microsoft operating system. Still, the software updates caused various challenges, including a Windows crash, banking app crashes, floods of phone calls to IT agencies, and difficulty accessing certain websites and programs. None of these outages impacted Apple products.
Due to the CrowdStrike outage, some programs and companies became more susceptible to hacking and security breaches. These risks may continue in the coming months, so companies recommend that cybersecurity remain an area of focus until the risk has subsided. In addition, conversations have arisen about the future of cyber updates and how to prevent this issue from occurring in the future.
How technological issues can impact mental health
Technological issues can significantly impact daily life. According to global digital insights, around 66% of the world’s population uses the internet, and many of these people use the internet for life-impacting services like healthcare, mental health support, and their careers. Being unable to access necessary technology or losing specific tools due to a breach can lead to various mental health impacts.
Social isolation
Many people use the internet to socialize with friends and family. Being unable to connect with those you love due to technological problems may lead to social isolation, which has been linked to a higher risk of depression and anxiety. Fear of losing the ability to communicate online due to breaches can also occur, as individuals may not know whether they can trust the services they use.
Lack of access to information and decreased productivity
Technological issues can lead to a lack of access to information. Most of today’s information, news, and services are hosted online or can be accessed through technological systems like Microsoft and Apple.
In addition, a large portion of companies around the world use technology to power their equipment and services. When outages occur, people may become fearful for their jobs and experience concerns regarding the consequences of not having life-saving services. Not having access to information can also lead to a sense of missing out or being unaware of what’s occurring in the world.
Conflict and social stress
Technological outages can put people at a higher risk of conflict, especially in professional settings. For example, if a grocery store worker must manually serve customers, services might be slower than usual, potentially leading to a buildup of customers and long lines. In some cases, customers may be rude to service workers.
In addition, when hospitals are unable to offer technological care to patients, they and their families may become confused or even angry. Social stress on a community-wide level can lead to the breakdown of support systems and further fear.
Lack of mental health and medical support resources
Technological outages might impact mental health and medical services that rely on technology to provide fast and effective services. For example, some hospitals might store patients’ charts and health histories using Microsoft services. These documents are often necessary to reduce the risk of error in healthcare environments, and retaking someone’s history can be time-consuming or even impossible, depending on a patient’s current medical status. Data breaches can also lead to patient data being sold or shared online, which can constitute a public safety issue.
Services like online chat hotlines for mental health crises might also fail to function during technological outages, possibly leading to thousands of people being unable to access support.
How to support your mental health during this time
If you have been impacted by the Microsoft outage or any other technological issue, consider the following ways to cope and move forward healthily.
Focus on offline connections
Online communication can help people sense they are connected, even when they are unable to meet up with others in person. However, these connections might not always be available, and social isolation can be scary during an outage. Reconnect with offline friends and family members when you can, and try to find ways to connect that don’t involve technology.
Keep yourself busy
Keep yourself busy during technological outages by partaking in hobbies, spending time with loved ones, and self-reflecting. You might try journaling, spending time in nature, or going to a tourist spot in your area that you’ve never visited. You might find that spending time away from technology helps you reconnect with yourself and your environment, grounding you in the present moment.
Practice self-care
You can practice self-care to improve your mental health by drinking water, eating nutritious meals, exercising, meditating, and avoiding isolation. During a technological outage, focusing on other areas of life may distract you and improve your mood.
Giving back to your community as an act of self-care
When technological issues impact communities, public stress can ensue, potentially leading to confusion and irritability. Giving back to your community can be a way to find a sense of purpose.
Consider volunteering for businesses that need support, such as hospitals, homeless shelters, or other essential services. You might also volunteer to work extra shifts at your job if there is a buildup of customers or requests for service that are difficult to fulfill due to an outage.
Other technological concerns
Outages, data breaches, and cybersecurity risks are not the only technological issues of which to be aware. Other concerns can include the following:
- Social media outages
- AI scams that use someone’s voice or images to attempt to steal money from family members and loved ones
- False AI-generated news
- Lack of access to funds in online-only banks
- Lack of access to an online cloud
- Loss of photos, files, videos, and documents
- Loss of internet access
- A lack of up-to-date and evidence-based information online due to AI-produced search results and articles
How does technology impact daily life?
Technology can impact various areas of daily life, not only those impacting mental health. For example, the world typically uses technology to complete the tasks listed below:
- Exchange information
- Share news
- Wash and dry clothing
- Prepare meals
- Communicate
- Share photos, videos, and other forms of media
- Save files easily
- Keep a registry of information that is too vast to store physically
- Drive electric cars
- Keep water clean
- Run airplanes and other vehicles
- Help underserved populations
- Power the internet
- Keep people safe
- Perform safe surgeries and medical procedures
- Offer alternative mental healthcare options
- Provide crisis support
Professional support options
If technological issues have led to mental health challenges like stress, depression, or anxiety, you’re not alone. Talking to a therapist may be one way to cope with these difficulties. However, accessing in-person therapy might not always be convenient or accessible. In these cases, individuals might try talking to a therapist online through a platform like BetterHelp.
Online therapy can be more accessible for those who wish to receive care from home, as therapy can be accessed from any location with an internet connection via phone, video, or live chat. In addition, online platforms often offer the option to schedule sessions outside of business hours, which can be helpful for those working long hours.
Research generally supports the efficacy of online therapy. According to a 2018 study, some people find online therapy more effective than face-to-face options for reducing depression and anxiety symptoms.
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