Is the cel phone going to be the downfall of our society?

Since the 90's the cellular telephone or mobile phone has gain in momentum among the populace so much that there are more mobile phone lines in existence than land operated phone lines. Advances in technology, making them extremely small for advance portability, and lowering operating costs has made this an unstoppable monster that will continue to exist in the hands of the public far into the future; but as my title suggests "is the cel phone going to be the downfall of our society?" or will it destroy manners and proper conduct?

Let me start off by admitting that mobile phones are a modern marvel of ease. Being able to make a call from almost anywhere at any time is magic in a very small box. The proficiency of communication with someone thru text or the power of summoning a movie schedule from thin air is liberating but is it a trade off for the loss of public practices?

The problems in the manner individuals handle or operate cel phones is the modern nuance when one forgets they are in public. It began with the raised voice, thou technology has proceeded in steps forward the mini speaker tech has fluctuated. One spoke louder because they could not hear the speaker therefore overcompensating with verbal volume when they are being received just fine. This phenomenon has extended over the years where some people just converse loud on there phones with no acknowledgement for individuals around them. As if the phone to the ear created a bubble where your conversation becomes private and no one can hear you.

The level of rudeness of answering a phone while in a public movie theatre has gone down throughout the years thanks to the beginning announcements before the main feature but people do not realize that even looking at your phone while in the dark creates a blinding beacon of light which begs for attention from corner of every one's eye. Where the degree of rudeness has increased is the interrupting of a live conversation to answer your phone, maybe this has now become common practice but i still believe it to be rude. I however cannot dismiss the texting during a live conversation where the texting individual swears they can multi task and hold the interaction with very little acknowledgement. Let us not forget the favorite talking on the phone while driving. During the late 80's and early 90's this was considered a status symbol and/or cool but has been studied to be dangerous while operating a vehicle. Thou in many states it has been outlawed to talk and drive without an assisting hands free device it still continues and with the even more dangerous texting while driving.

The list of offenses by cel phone users goes on and on but the one i have witnessed which should be considered a felony is the answering and talking of the phone while in a public restroom. This convention baffles me especially when the individual holds a conversation while sitting on the throne in the neighboring stall. So i pose again the question to the ever growing mass form of communication: are these phones going to be the downfall of our society?