Living in a BlackBerry world

Todd Sharpe has mornings similar to everyone else’s. He wakes up, has a shower, eats a healthy, balanced breakfast, possibly goes to the gym, and heads off to work – a morning routine that could belong to anyone.

Last year, Sharpe received a BlackBerry as a birthday gift, and within weeks (if not days) his morning routine changed, ever so slightly. He wakes up from the alarm on his BlackBerry, checks his Facebook and e-mail, has a shower, eats a healthy, balanced breakfast while watching a video or two on YouTube, listens to music on the mp3 player on his BlackBerry while possibly working out at the gym, as well as on his way to work.

The BlackBerry, produced by Waterloo-based company Research In Motion (RIM), is a staple of everyday life. With convenience and professional design at the forefront of its success, it has become a household name, falling into the hands of a diverse group of individuals, ranging from teenagers to senior citizens.

The BlackBerry brand is popular for good reason. Immediate e-mail access, push-to-talk technology, instant messaging, and Internet browsing are among the features BlackBerries, along with other smartphones, have made commonplace.

However, this convenience has grown to obsession for many nationwide. According to a 2007 AOL poll, 59 per cent of users check their e-mail the second it arrives, and the same amount check their e-mail in bed. Among users, 53 per cent check their e-mail in the bathroom, and 37 per cent check it while driving.

Has it really become necessary for a person to have constant communication with everyone else?

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Sharpe’s case is not out of the ordinary. Constantly wanting to check for e-mails and messages has become a compulsion for many people.

“When I’m going about my everyday life,” Sharpe began, “I get interrupted by BlackBerry messenger.” BlackBerry messenger is a program unique and exclusive to the RIM devices. While on some occasions, the messenger comes in handy for appointments and work-related events, most of the time, Sharpe says it’s simply people asking trivial questions.

On top of the messenger and e-mail, Sharpe said it took him nearly a year to figure out all of the applications on his handheld device.

“Sometimes it can be fun to use the camera or the video camera, but I hardly ever use the calculator, the GPS, or the address book.”

In terms of games – one of the compelling reasons to get a BlackBerry over other smartphones – Sharpe stands apart. “If I’m going to play a game, I'm going to play on a game system. Why would I be wasting time playing pinball if I could be socializing with friends, working, or being productive?”

That said, Sharpe admits his BlackBerry can sometimes cause more grief than sociability. He recalls an instance when he was out with friends and his BlackBerry continued to go off – people were messaging him on MSN, BB Messenger, and Facebook. Eventually, his friends, not quite as distracted by their smartphones, pointed out how rude he was being, but only after nearly half an hour.

Sharpe believes that this has become the norm – to be social in person and on one’s phone at the same time. Others don’t want to be rude and point it out, yet the person in question is being rude to those around him.

Kirsten Butler, a sociology student at Memorial, admits that she will check some messages while in groups of people on her BlackBerry, which she has had for about three months.

“It depends on the type of message I’m receiving,” said Butler. “Facebook messages I generally don’t answer. Text messages may be answered depending on where I am. I don’t answer messages in class or at restaurants.”

She agrees with Sharpe that it’s rude to answer messages while in a group.

“Like any phone, I can contact my friends through phone calls or text messages. If I am lost or if I need to look up a bus route or schedule really fast, I can do that easily. If I get an important e-mail, I can respond to it right away.”

She also admits that she does not use all the applications on her BlackBerry, and regularly only uses a few, from surfing Facebook to checking Maclean’s and Time.

“I don’t really use any kind of media programs for music or videos or anything,” said Butler. She admits, however, that there are a few “silly games” she plays while procrastinating, and says she spends some time looking for new games and apps.

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Nicole Power, a professor in the sociology department at MUN, believes there are fundamental pros and cons to a young person owning a BlackBerry.

“[BlackBerries] are primarily marketed towards young people,” she said, continuing that this marketing taps into young people’s insecurities. “It provides examples of individuality, popularity, and a good life, whatever that means.”

Power says that young people, both teenagers and young adults, have a desire to be free. Consequently, she says, this marketing and the ability to communicate freely allows them to feel a sense of freedom.

This sense, however, is not always synonymous with real freedom.

“There are millions of dollars spent every year researching the psyches of young people,” said Power.

Although young people may believe a BlackBerry is providing freedom and allowing for greater productivity, this may not be the case.

“[Smartphones] also invade private space,” continued Power. She says BlackBerries are used for work – many companies buying one for every employee. She adds that, because the communication can never be removed from the employee’s life, the work is never finished.

Power also brings up the concern that cell phones in classrooms and exams raise a moral issue. Cell phones have become a distraction in the classroom, keeping the attention of students and creating difficulty for professors. In exams, many schools have taken precautions to disallow phones being present, as students could potentially receive texts with answers.

Aside from checking e-mails and general connectivity, Power admits there are benefits to having BlackBerries, amid the array of cons.

“Geography suddenly becomes less of an issue,” she stated.

She uses the example of gay and lesbian youth in rural parts of Canada who can now connect with one another using the applications on a BlackBerry.

When asked why young people seem more inclined to need a BlackBerry as opposed to adults, Power provided an interesting observation.

Those over 35, as a generalization, use smartphones as an instrument to do everyday tasks: banking, telephone calls, and e-mail. Those who have grown up with the technology are more likely to take advantage of it and become engrossed in it, thus needing the interconnectivity with others who have BlackBerries.

Todd Sharpe agreed that he would like to lessen his bill and simply access the Internet at home, but does not know whether or not he would actually go through with it. “It [has become] essential for me because I have access to the Internet and can connect with friends and clients.”

As for Kirsten Butler, she believes her life would not change drastically without her handheld device, but thinks she would have to be more organized without it. “In today’s world, I do feel it is almost essential to own a cell phone in most situations.”

Sharpe and Butler both said their bills range from $60 to $100 per month, depending on their usage and plans. Therefore, if they are spending time being anti-social (or too social) and wasting time with apps and games, is the amount of money actually worth the convenience and accessibility of owning a BlackBerry?