I would say that I am addicted to my Blackberry. After purchasing my first Blackberry three years ago, it is been the one form of media that I cannot live without. The small device is my personal planner, mobile internet, alarm clock, weatherman, portable gps, Blackberry messenger, and of course telephone. Without my Blackberry in hand or within a five foot radius, I literally find myself experiencing withdrawals and major anxiety. This was fully experienced after I dropped my Blackberry in the lake a few weeks back and spent a weekend completely cut off from all communication. To some this may sound relaxing, but for me it was extremely stressful and rather miserable. (And yes I did dive into the lake to get my Blackberry and was in near tears when it did not turn on).
My Blackberry is my source of socialization. It is the mere connection to culture, people, and events that are occurring in my own life and the lives of others. Croteau and Hoynes define socialization as a source of learning “to perform our social roles as friend, student, worker, citizen, and so forth (14)”. This further epitomizes the purpose of my Blackberry, as it relays information that is crucial to progress through the day. Keeping connections allows me fulfill the several roles in my life including, student, peer mentor, daughter, worker, dancer, and friend. This palm sized device is more than just a phone to me, and has helped me to progress and thrive in my day-to-day life. Without my Blackberry I am lost.
Here's an interesting question for you, given that we're business students. If people are so connected to their Blackberry's and there seems to be inelastic demand, shouldn't the wireless carriers and the device maker (Research in Motion) charge us even more? If you had to pay an additional $10 per month, would you? While I am certainly not a fan of paying more for things, I know that the Verizon & RIM could get away with it.
ReplyDeleteI know exactly what you mean. I had a similar problem with my blackberry and had to be without it for a couple of days until I got a new one. I was really lost. My blackberry has everything; I use it for more than just making calls, obviously. It has all the important things I need to do or remember on the memo pad, instant messaging to keep me in touch with my friends, internet to keep me informed of everything else, and as you know there’s so much more.
ReplyDeleteMy personal opinion on Ryan’s question is that I already believe the company is making a lot of profit from the smart phone and that even though it could be possible to charge even more, it wouldn’t be a good idea due to the other smart phones in the market. Although the blackberry is an amazing phone, it can be replaced by other smart phones such as the iPhone. The popularity of the Blackberry is what makes the cell phone so demanded, and also the features and applications shared between the same Blackberries.
I totally understand because I have the same issue.I use my blackberry even to check the wather or to find a song's name. So,I use it for purposes other than business as well.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I am not unhappy about this addiction because I think Blackberry helps socializing. I would not ask how anyone is or what they are doing if there wasn't the BBM application which is in a chat form. I would text message only when I need to ask something to someone. So, I think advantages of Blackberry are far more than disadvantages and I would probably be in tears like you if I had dropped my phone.
I agree with your statement. This weekend I flung my blackberry in the sink when I was doing the dishes and spent a day without one before having to replace it. We can see how dominance of socialism is shown here. You feel disconnected from the world in several ways. Not having your blackberry prevents you from meeting up with friends, getting the latest news (politics, sports game results, etc). Because we rely so heavily on our blackberries most of us don't even know the numbers in it. So when we lose our phones we not only lose temporary contact with people, but sometimes permanent.
ReplyDeleteIn addition, I think Ryan's comment is definitely something to consider.
I definitely can understand where you're coming from with the reliance on the Blackberry. Although I am only in the early stages of my crackberry addiction, it's amazing to see the power one small device can have in our daily lives. Before I had a smartphone, I never really worried about checking sports or the weather on the go, i would just wait until i got to a computer. Now that I have the capabilities, though, i'm constantly checking news, weather and emails. As we become more attached to our phones, the way we seem lost and confused without them is a scary scenario and demonstrates society's true reliance on media and connectivity.
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate in this situation. Since getting internet on my Blackberry a month ago, I have become a crackberry addict! Having access to the internet on a phone almost eliminates the need for a computer in terms on connecting to others around you. A phone that is not a smart phone does not have internet and performs simple calling features. It does not connect you to others in the form of email, chat, social networking sites, etc. It really is such an important device to us in this day and age as people are always on the move and need this technology at all times.
ReplyDeleteSeems like you have plenty of company in your blackbery addiction! It's interesting to read about your personal experience and you also made a good connection with the Media/Society book. The post could be even better, however, if you had pushed further your description of the addiction and ask larger, ethical questions such as--Is this addiction healthy, for the wellbeing of an individual or of the social community? Addiction to Blackberry meaning the loss of what? What kind of a future do you foresee from this small artifact?
ReplyDeleteb.