LOL...wher R U?

I think we can all admit that technology has come a long way.  I imagine this way of living is in many aspects much better then living without technology.  The one drawback that usually gets me upset with this said technology is the fact that we are always available virtually 24/7.  Between my cell phone and Facebook, I am constantly available and virtually around all the time.  All of this "availability" has led our students to believe that we are in fact available to them 24/7.  

It is not uncommon for me to receive emails from students at 3:30 a.m. in the morning.  Since I am a sucker for technology and receive my emails on my Blackberry, I get that said email at 3:30 a.m. in the morning.  Then when I go to the office, students are like, so did you get my email yet?  As if I was supposed to respond as soon as my nice phone notified me at 3:30 a.m.  There also is the expectation that I must not have a life, therefor I should be available to answer my phone at all times.  I wonder if students think that I never go to the restroom, have dinner, have a family or occasionally *gasp* turn my cell phone off.  I sometimes feel guilty for not being available 24/7.  

I am not really complaining about the ridiculous times I get emails, texts or calls, but am just amazed that we now live in a generation where this is the expectation and norm of the students we work with.  I also have done a poor job at projecting the fact that I do have boundaries.  At work we give the impression that we are available all the time and when we fail to be constantly available, we get frustrated when are students get frustrated.  I think that might be a catch-22 or some pandora's box of something-or-the-other.  

Despite the constantly being available, I do love having my Blackberry.  I love status updates on Facebook.  I love texting.  I love wireless Internet.  I love that I am connected to everything and everyone in a matter of minutes, sometimes seconds.  I just wish that I could do it in a cloak of anonymity.  I guess this makes my preferred style as "stalker".  I guess I cannot have my cake and eat it to -- to be connected must mean I must be available.  I guess that is more of a question rather than a statement?