I'm not sure if cell phones are mostly the cause and the gateway, or just another symptom of our insane desire to do more and more in a fixed amount of time. As exemplified by the cell phone walking, driving, (any)thing, we discuss this phenomenon as "multi-tasking." "Multi-tasking" as commonly understood is non-existent. What we REALLY mean is "semi-tasking" or "split-tasking" since we can only really do one thing at a time with pure focus. What we mean by MT is actually jumping back and forth between two tasks or among several tasks such that at any given moment, we are focused on one of them.

Now, some people can switch quickly enough to effectively do both or all tasks adequately. But they are still not doing both or all at the same time. Attentions to each of the tasks varies. With some of the walkers and drivers, their main focus is on the call, and not their motion. They are the worst at interfering with others who actually ARE focused on their motion. And when one is more focused on their motion, the person in the phone call gets short-changed, because they are getting the seconds in the attention competition.

All this can partially explain the current interest in "mindfulness." Mindfulness, as I understand it is the focus on being here, now, and in whatever activity one is involved in, and nothing else. But at least for this moment in time, I do not see anything changing, other than one person and one person being more present while the vast majority continue to split-task.