I’m Gen X. I grew up with a landline and no caller ID, and if the phone rang you mostly just answered it, unless you were screening calls. Could be your best friend asking if you want to go to the mall, could be your least favorite aunt calling to whine at your mom for whatever her latest minor ailment is. In which case you’re stuck making polite small talk until your mom is done drying her hair or whatever.
It sucked a lot.
Now I’ve got a cell and caller ID. Unless I’m expecting a call, I never answer the phone. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message. Usually it’s not even a little bit important.
And my boomer mom just loves to call for a long pointless chat. If I see her name on the caller ID, I have to decide whether I have an hour minimum to waste because it’s never shorter than that. 🙄