The Distracted Mind: Ancient Brains in a High-Tech World (The MIT Press)

by Adam Gazzaley

An early example is the standard telephone. When telephones had successfully penetrated society and became a common way to communicate with family and friends, our expectations were clear: if the phone rang and rang and rang and nobody answered, then we knew that we had to try to call again later. When answering machines became available and were positioned next to the phone, the expectation was that a message left during the day would likely be heard when the receiver arrived home (assuming he or she checked the machine and noticed the number indicating awaiting messages), and a return call would likely come then or perhaps the next day if the hour was late. Then the answering machine moved into cyberspace in the form of voice mail: now you had to call your phone, press the * key (or some special key combination), enter your code, and hear your messages. The voice mail system did not necessarily alert you to the message, so you had to call in periodically to check (unless a light flashed on your phone signifying a voice mail). This system was all quite simple and quite civilized, as our expectations had boundaries. When cell phones and later smartphones came blasting into our world, our expectations changed. “Sorry, I wasn’t home to get your call” or “I didn’t have a chance to check my messages” were no longer excuses when the phone icon showed you that you had missed a call and had a voice mail waiting. We now feel compelled to answer calls or respond to voice mail immed...