Conversation etiquette: please don't text when I'm talking to you

Has anyone noticed that if you're talking to a person, that they're not really listening?

They know you're talking but then they'll start texting on their phones and go, 'yeah, mm hmm...' or begin doing something else, or even worse, turn around and walk away. My friends all the time say, 'oh sorry, I wasn't listening'  What?! This drives me nuts!!! It is incredibly rude, and they all do it to each other too. It really hurts my feelings and I've let it roll of my shoulders several different times, until today when I just started to be a bit more assertive. I do my best to keep my voice even and relaxed so we can continue the conversation without it being awkward. Today I said something like, 'Excuse me, but you've just cut me off, I was talking with you about [subject] and you started texting on your phone.' I'll even try and make it into a joke, but I really can't let it slide anymore. I only realised this when I came back from the UK earlier in the year. No one is listening, they are just waiting to talk or go and do something else. Maybe I'm just a boring person to talk to? Maybe my friends and co-workers are just plain rude? I hope that's not the case...

Has anyone ever noticed this or have you done something about it? Did people respond positively? Any kinds of stories would make me feel better, this issue is just making me feel really insignificant and unimportant at the moment 

Ooh, I hate that! I'm a chronic phone-checker, and I'll text often, but I feel so guilty pulling it out in front of anyone. I agree that it's so unbearably rude and thoughtless. What really drove me nuts is when I'd be sitting in lectures - at all levels of university - and all around me people would be texting away. Not only was it ridiculously disrespectful of the professors, but it's just stupid to not be able to tear oneself away for an hour in order to actually work on that education! Why even bother to show up?

And you're absolutely right: everyone's attention is taken these days, if not by the phone, then by jumping in their mind to what they think you're going to say, or how they're going to respond, no matter how relevant. No one actually seems to listen anymore. This has been a peeve of mine for a long time.

I have never had anyone start texting while I was talking to them or walk away while I was talking to them.

That is incredibly rude.

Maybe it has to do with the fact that I am older and the people I associate with tend to be older, or maybe because I'm a quiet person and I don't speak much, so when I do speak, people think it's important. I don't know.