Well, yes and no. I don’t recall in the distant pass going to parties, or eating out or the like and people bringing stuff to read and generally ignoring the other people RIGHT there with them.
Yeah, it happened. But not with the frequency I see today.
I decided that the SCA had jumped the shark when people started deciding which events to go to based on cell phone & wireless access, and whether or not there would be a laptop on site they could borrow to check their email or post pictures to Facebook.
I have a cell phone. I use it for phone calls, text messages, address book, and as a camera. I am going to avoid getting a smart phone or any form of portable internet or email as long as I can, because one of my main reasons to stand up and walk away from the computer is to get away from the internet.
Society for Creative Anachronism, an international group dedicated to the research and re-creation of life, art, armor, clothing, food & stuff prior to 1600.