It has made people much ruder, but it has given me greater peace of mind, knowing that I can easily reach people when necessary. the key word is NECESSARY.
Now, for some venting:
If someone is visitng a friend or having a conversation with them, PLEASE don’t answer phone calls all throughout the visit. And don’t speak so loudly that the nice dinner I am having with my husband in one of our rare forays into a nice restaurant, is ruined by your extremely private and irrelevant conversation. I was having pizza with my daughter only to hear a PHYSICIAN discussing a patient’s personal business (called her by name as well) on his cell phone. He violated several HIPAA laws by doing so. And did I REALLY have to hear about his patient’s gallstones while I was eating a slice of pizza?