Techno-dependent communication health warning

I work with some real techno lovers or maybe that should be "techno-luvvies" who seem to get off on owning the latest this or that ...plus of course loads of apps!

And when it comes to contact and comunication they are entirely techno-dependent.
They text when a 30 second walk would have allowed a face to face chat.
They can't have a business conversation without showing off their pivot table skills in Excel.
They choose the naffest audio-tones to signal incoming emails....and cannot resist immediately opening them ...to your constant irritation!
Up until now irritation has been the extent of it...but after reading a recent article in the New York Times I'm more than a bit concerned for them.
Telling the story of a businessman who "lost" a $1.3 million deal email amidst a "deluge of data" in his inbox , and of the distracting effect his gadget dependancy has on his family life and relationships, the article describes how "he craves the stimulation he gets from his electronic gadgets." Telling the reader "This is your brain on computers. "
Apparently there is a primitive impulse at play here to respond to opportunities and threats. The resultant excitement causing a potentially addictive "dopamine squirt!"
More worrying is the evidence that as we handle more information and attempt to multi-task we actually struggle to keep focus and shut out irrelevant information. And that this "fractured thinking" continues after multi-tasking ends. 
A further angle on this issue came out in a recent article by Dr Mark Goulston in PsychologyToday where he talks about the fact that we are simply interacting with machines. And because it's a machine then we communicate with it with less concern for consequence. Bit like shouting at the TV!
Added to this he feels that the speed of the technology prompts us to fire a reply off quickly. And that this is encouraged by feelings of anxiety if we don't reply quickly... and of relief when we have replied.
Something I'm sure we can all relate to. Ever had an "oh ____!!" moment when you've hit [Send] to soon?
For myself. I'll admit to a sceptical and cynical view on techno-communication.
Sceptical because words without accompanying tone and visual expression can be interpreted in so many different ways. Cynical because the product developers have done such a brilliant job in managing a market that has everything to do with ownership and aspiration and not too much to do with functional needs.
Nonetheless, as the The Forrester's Technographics Benchmark Survey of 2008 pointed out  "Generation X 'ers (29 to 42 year olds) uses technology when it supports a "lifestyle need" whereas it is embedded into everything Generation Y 'ers (18 - 29) do!

So like it or not it is the preferred way for an increasing portion of the working population but it doesn't have to be the only way!
And for the messages that really needs to be clear and understood...take that 30 second walk down the corridor.

For great tips on persuasive communication visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/ and browse the Resource Centre