Hung Up

When adults run around frantically yelling and complaining, there can only be one reason: their BlackBerries have stopped working.

This “travesty” occurred last Tuesday at 8 p.m. BlackBerry service around the country went out, leaving millions of users
e-mail-less and text message-less until 6 a.m. the next morning – the horror.

Many would comment that this lapse in service is a good thing, as it reminds us what life was like before we were handcuffed to our mobile devices.An article in the “New York Times” that discussed the Blackberry blackout quoted Stuart Gold, marketing director for Omniture, a software company based in Orem, Utah.

“I started freaking out,” Gold said. “I started taking it apart. Turning it off. Turning it on. I took the battery out and cleaned it on my shirt. I was running around my hotel like a freak. It’s very sad. I love this thing.”

If a marketing director for a major software firm can run around his hotel room in a frenzy over a malfunctioning cell phone, then we need to recognize the credence in Blackberry users’ justifications for why the device is a vital part of their everyday lives.

Communication devices enable people to have a stronger sense of community.
Friends and family are often separated
by distance, and cell phones make it possible to keep in touch. Decades ago, communication between people in situations like this would not have been possible.We want to be able to get in touch with our friends or family members at the drop of a hat, even if it’s just by sending a text message. Technology has evolved this way and perhaps there’s no reason to object it.

We are also attached to our cell phones and BlackBerries because they are fun tools. Designers from Apple, Motorola and Research in Motion (the makers of the BlackBerry) are incredibly talented and have produced art that people love to have constantly on their person.

There’s a reason why, over the course of last year, the Motorola RAZR became one of the best-selling cell phones of all time. People reacted to the design and wanted to own one. Good design and manufacturing are reasons for these products’ success.

It’s no surprise that BlackBerry users flipped when their beloved devices quit on them last week. Not only were their connections to some of their favorite people gone, but also their favorite toys.