Can you remember your first cellphone?

by meowzer (student)

Can you remember your first cell phone? It was huge wasn’t it? No wonder they’re now referred to as “Bricks”. Nowadays cell phones are thin enough to fit into your skinniest skinny jeans back pocket! But even though the cell phones are smaller, lighter and flashier, the feats they can accomplish go waaay beyond the purpose they were originally intended for. I wonder what the man who invented the cell phone, Martin Cooper, thinks about the current state of it. (He’s still alive by the way, just goes to show how quickly these little lifesavers have evolved)

You never leave home without it and on the rare occasion that you do, you feel lost! Technology is such that you don’t want to succumb to it, but once you do you can never turn back. Just ask me! My father is not what one would call a techno-geek but after getting his Blackberry, he soon became consumed by the world of BlackBerry Messenger, or BBM as its fondly known, and all those Blackberry Apps. I too have to admit my addiction to my little berry. I mean, who would ever say no to never-ending conversations with your friends? Even when my sister gives me an annoyed look as I furiously type away at my QWERTY in company, I can’t help but sneak a peek at it 30 seconds later when it vibrates again.

The Blackberry has truly revolutionised the way people are communicating. Youth partaking in the London uprisings last year used the phones infamous BBM to organise gatherings and riots. Many Middle Eastern countries have even banned the phone. It gets you thinking doesn’t it? Those little wonders have enormous power! And in the famous words of Ben Parker, “With great power, comes great responsibility!” Are people thinking before they check the Select All check box and BC to all 153 of their contacts that they must absolutely stay indoors behind a protective shield as solar flares from the sun would incinerate ...

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How vital the BlackBerry has become to modern man around world, was demonstrated last year during the great BlackBerry crash. The server crashes caused a 3 day shut-down of the BlackBerry Internet Service which resulted in no BBM, no internet browsing, no emails which overall equals no life. This addiction has even been classified by name as Crackberry addiction. Crackberry addiction is all about obsession. Persons who are so enamoured of using their Blackberry handheld devices that they seem to always have them in hand have been nicknamed crackberries. To be fair, not every Blackberry user can be classified as a crackberry. While acknowledging how addictive Blackberry use can be for many people, the true crackberry is an individual who chooses to never be without their trusty Blackberry.

This kind of person may use it during meetings, while driving, and even at the dinner table at home. A true sign of the obsessive Blackberry addict is that upon rising in the morning, the user reaches for the Blackberry before doing anything else. All of life revolves around the Blackberry, to the extent that friends will send text messages and emails in order to communicate with their loved one, since verbal communication is apt to be a dead end.

For those that see the Blackberry phenomenon as a full-blown epidemic, there is not much difference between a crackberry and anyone that suffers from substance abuse or Internet addiction. In fact, some say the only way to kick the habit is to junk the devices and coerce the users back into a state where face to face communication becomes necessary.

While many see the term crackberry as a way at poking fun at the latest technology, others see the obsession with Blackberry services as one more example of how physical social interaction is eroding in our society. Perhaps you have Blackberry® users in your circle of friends. If so, ask them their opinion on the whole crackberry concept. Just be prepared to receive their response in the form of an email or text message

I’m not Blackberry bashing, I’ve already declared my deep devotion to it. I think the Blackberry has had a positive effect on keeping people connected and it has many benefits for society and families. By just checking your recent updates you can find out just about anything and see how that cake your mother’s cousin’s daughter-in-law made turned out. Businesses can be promoted and even self-esteems can be positively boosted by broadcast messages urging you to rate the sender in terms of friendship etc. You can become quite the expert on any subject with Google always at your fingertips. Once in a while, a Blackberry has even saved a life! While skiing in the Swiss Alps David Fitzherbert, plunged 21 metres into a crevice, where he became wedged in between two walls of ice. The only thing preventing him from plunging 213 meters, the 1.27 cm-wide in the breast pocket of his coat.

But soon the tides of BlackBerry will pass over us and a new must have phone will steal the limelight. Maybe the next big thing will be a cell phone that can cook a meal or make a cup of tea? But than all the BlackBerry aunties won’t be able to have the ever popular “what’s for supper tonight?” conversation, leaving them with an ever-empty void in their hearts.

Oh, my BB just vibrated; someone’s just sent me a sweet, cute or special BBM. Do remember to send any interesting (but true) BC’s my way too!