Gone are the days when Dr. Paul Packman, associate psychiatrist for Barnes-Jewish Hospital, and other medical professionals like him had to stop at the nearest pay phone and dial a telephone number after being beeped on their pagers.

Now, things are much more convenient and require no stops, just a free hand to whip out a cell phone and hit buttons.

Let''s face it, the advances in technology have changed the world people live in and how they do things.

"Technology has changed society in many ways: advances in health, advances in communication, advances in transportation — mostly favorable, but not always," Packman said.

Today, electronic devices with text messaging, e-mail and Internet capabilities — cell phones, personal digital assistant items and BlackBerry''s — are all around us in society.

And with these items come good and bad. Several benefits include a person''s instant ability to communicate with others and greater flexibility and freedom. However, these electronic devices can also lead to unhealthy behavior. Some people can become obsessive/compulsive about using the equipment and become anxious and uncomfortable if they can''t get back to someone right away, Packman said.

"These devices have allowed us to make important communication quickly and efficiently, but at the same time they''re used extensively for trivia," he said.

It is important to interact and spend time with those people around you, so to help establish some boundaries people shouldn''t use electronic devices during a family dinner on a special occasion, romantic moments, relaxing times and on vacation, Packman said.

People are always being flooded with information and told to respond to a question or message. If it''s not urgent, people should think through their answer and then respond, Packman said.

So how has technology changed society? It comes with an expensive price; people have lost interaction with one another. Today, people are used to interacting with voice menus and machines, rather than talking to a live person.

"We''re disconnected interpersonally," Packman said. "There''s nothing like communication with a real person."