24/7 nation

Aside from great customer service, non-stop activity is one of the most striking aspects of the US today (and that is a big difference compared to the last time I came over here back in 2001). This is a 24/7 nation and business never stops around here. Most service providers consider it a must to be reachable by customers when customers want. While it is a great idea for business, I am not convinced the consequences of this model are desirable at the level of individuals. However, on a much larger scale I wonder what this drive to be an always-on space, a 24/7 nation does to the global competition. And intuitively I tend to believe this is actually building enormous competitive advantage for the US. At the end of the day, this desire to serve customers 24/7 builds greater responsiveness for the entire economy and ultimately it must also have the effect of accelerating the number of interactions and transactions, which should translate in faster circulation of money in the economy. Rather enabling dynamics for growth, no?