TECHNOSTRESS IN THE DIGITAL WORKPLACE: ANTECEDENTS, CONSEQUENCES, THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS, AND FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

Abstract

The rapid digitalization of work has made technostress the stress that individuals experience because of their use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) a central concern for information systems (IS) and organizational scholarship. This systematic literature review synthesizes peer-reviewed empirical and conceptual research published between 2010 and 2025 to consolidate what is known about the antecedents, mechanisms, and consequences of workplace technostress, the theories used to explain it, and the most consequential gaps that remain. Following the PRISMA 2020 reporting guidelines (Page et al., 2021), the review applies a transparent protocol covering database selection, Boolean search strings, screening, and quality appraisal. The synthesis is organized around the now-canonical technostress creators techno-overload, techno-invasion, techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, and techno-uncertainty first instrumented by Tarafdar et al. (2007) and Ragu-Nathan et al. (2008), and extended by work on technological antecedents (Ayyagari et al., 2011), inhibitors, coping, and the eustress–distress duality (Tarafdar et al., 2019); (Califf et al., 2020). In multiple studies, techno-overload and techno-invasion are the strongest correlates of strain, role stress, exhaustion, decreased satisfaction, decreased productivity, and decreased intentions to leave, while techno-complexity, techno-insecurity, and techno-uncertainty have weaker, less consistent effects, as supported in a recent meta-analytic study (Nastjuk et al., 2024). The review highlights four persistent gaps: (a) methodological focus on reliance on single-source cross-sectional surveys; (b) weak and underdeveloped theory of the mediating mechanisms; (c) limited attention to new contexts like remote and hybrid work, algorithmic management and tools based on artificial intelligence; and (d) geographic focus on Western and East-Asian samples. A conceptual model that connects antecedents with appraisal and coping strategies, contextual moderators, and multi-level outcomes is proposed and a staged research program is outlined. The review provides an integrated evidence base and a prioritized agenda to inform rigorous and context-sensitive technostress research and practice.