Batfink, I think it's less about the object of their obsession than about the to (given a chance) make their obsession (with gossip & co) even more immediate than before.
And humans are thinking animals. Tools that enrich the environment with information like cell phones and ipods were just begging to happen sooner or later. A good technology is a discreet technology.. It melds in with everything else, it's imbedded anytime it's feasible.
Just because some people are fairly vulgar artists isn't reason enough to write off all artists, or the continuation of art.