Is the Phone Call Going Away?
This piece in the New York Times resonated, since we always schedule staff calls (which mostly take place via Skype) ahead of time, and even off-the-cuff calls are confirmed first via iChat. Phone calls out of the blue are usually pre-announced by caller ID, and most of those that aren’t tend to be from telemarketers. We approve — phone calls should request your attention and respect your schedule, not demand that you drop everything for an unknown reason.
The landline phone call may be going away, but I see people on cellphones all the time, often with earbuds or Bluetooth ear pieces but just as often not: walking down the street, shopping for groceries, driving cars, standing in lines at movie theaters, even sitting IN movie theaters while the movie is playing! Phone calls aren't going away, they're just changing their venue and becoming much more mobile--and more irritating to bystanders--now.