Webcams and technostress: the complicated web of amplified online learning, webcam use, and technostress during COVID 19

Technological advances and COVID-19 have led to expedited technology use and online learning in higher education. Increased technology use and online learning have led individuals to either adapt or experience technostress. Higher education is a ripe context for technostress to occur, especially for students, since many courses are being offered in a hybrid and/or synchronous online format due to COVID-19. Students have often been required and/or encouraged to use multiple technologies, especially webcams, during online courses. Thus, this study explores the technostress students could be experiencing from requested webcam use as well as potential influencers and outcomes of technostress for students via exploring factors from Davis’s [Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and user acceptance of information technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319–340] technology acceptance model in a new proposed model. Results indicated the model was a significant predictor for digital skills, perceived ease of use, technostress, and cognitive learning for students being required or not required to use webcams. Implications for researchers and instructors as well as future research directions are discussed.