Seite - 108 - in Cyborg Mind - What Brain–Computer and Mind–Cyberspace Interfaces Mean for Cyberneuroethics

108 • Cyborg Mind Individuals may have to become increasingly selective and disregard what they cannot use or understand. They may need to learn to prioritise and develop their reliance on others for potted versions of information, while at the same time remembering how to access that information when it is needed. For individuals who spend a large proportion of their time connected to the Internet, various further challenges may arise. For example, quickly flick- ing between many topics may undermine an individual’s ability to concen- trate. A 2009 Stanford University study in the United States concluded that individuals who are regularly confronted with several streams of electronic information cannot pay attention, control their memory or switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time.24 The American academic and communication expert Clifford Nass (1958– 2013) explains that ‘They’re suckers for irrelevancy’ and ‘Everything distracts them’,25 with Nass’ colleague, the psychologist Anthony Wagner, explaining: ‘When they’re in situations where there are multiple sources of information coming from the external world or emerging out of memory, they’re not able to filter out what’s not relevant to their current goal . . . That failure to filter means they’re slowed down by that irrelevant information.’26 Individuals who spend a lot of time online may also find it increasingly difficult to compartmentalise different parts of their lives, such as work and family life. As such, it may be more difficult for them to maintain boundaries between online and offline identities. Because of the amount of time needed to access all the websites, some have even suggested using the web to support other activities, such as using audio electronic books to tell stories to their children in order to save time for themselves. Another challenge is the use of email to contact individuals about work mat- ters during leisure time. This breakdown between a person’s professional and private life could make it more difficult for employees to set limits and may be one of the most important and transformative consequences of social and tech- nological changes.27 For instance, if individuals decide not to switch off their work mobile phones at home, they may end up working all the time. Because of this, France decided to introduce new rules in 2016 to protect people work- ing in the digital and consultancy sectors from work emails outside of office hours. The deal signed between the employers’ federation and trade unions indicates that employees will have to switch off work phones and avoid looking at work email, while firms cannot pressure staff to check messages.28 However, an advertising professional who moved from London to New York describes a different email culture from that found in France: I remember on my second day seeing an email from a work colleague sent very late that evening. To my surprise someone replied to it, and then the interac- This open access edition has been made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license thanks to the support of Knowledge Unlatched. Not for resale.