I wish people more your age and younger shared your perspective.

I think it just tends to be who you associate with. I don't really know anyone I hang out with that sits on their phone the entire time. Then again, I wouldn't put up with hanging out with them if they did either.

It depends. IMs are much less asynchronous. I think what's rude is breaking off one conversation into another one, regardless of media. For instance, it's incredibly annoying when someone comes up to me in person and demands attention when I'm in the middle of an important IM conversation with my SO.

An no, my reply can't wait because I had a tempo of conversation, and the person on the other side of the phone can't see that someone interrupted me in person. Face to face conversations transmit out-of-band information through body language, and in the same way electronic conversations transmit out-of-band information through timing. Also reading timing is just as subtle skill as reading faces.

>Also reading timing is just as subtle skill as reading faces.

I understand people "read timing" and interpret it as adding to the conversation but timing in a text conversation is so unreliable I personally give it no importance. More often than not the timing of my IM/text/email has more to do with the situation I'm currently in rather than how I feel about the conversation. I didn't reply to that last text because I just stepped into a meeting, or started driving, or got in the shower, etc.