Sure, they are nicknamed “Crackberries” by Penn students, but has anyone taken a moment to realize the accuracy of this comparison?
Of course not, we’ve been too busy “BBM-ing” our friends to see if they want to meet us at Gia after class.
That’s of course the prime reason a large portion of the Penn community has invested in this fancy phone: BlackBerry Messenger. While former DP blogger Eric Sukuraman and columnist Mara Gordon pointed to email as this device’s central function, I believe students choose BlackBerries because of their wildly convenient communication system.
BlackBerry Messenger is essentially AIM unplugged. Literally. It’s taken the addictive concept of Instant Messaging and put it in your pocket. And there is absolutely nothing healthy about that.
Jaclyn Cohen, a College senior, said that without this unique service her BlackBerry isn’t that special.
“BlackBerry Messenger allows you to reach any of your friends with a BlackBerry within seconds. Barely an hour goes by that I don’t use it,” Cohen said.
As with any addiction, there are consequences.
Today at Penn, Locust Walk consists of a sea of slow-walking foreheads clumsily making their way without glancing up from their BlackBerries. We have also seen an odd transition of social norms in which technology is trump.
I’m guilty of it, and I’m sure if you have a BlackBerry, you are too. One minute you’re in deep conversation with your friend and before you know it, you hear the buzz (or see the little smiley-face, or the red blinking light) and you’re typing away, completely giving priority to your phone over your friend.
Albeit, some people, especially those without BBM-ing abilities, get pissed. However, if the friend has a BlackBerry, he or she surely has the same vice and will pick up the conversation where it was left, no questions asked.
It’s a strange phenomenon to become socially acceptable, because live interaction suddenly lost its value. Technology is helping us insult each other’s company with every message we tend to in the presence of others.
And although admitting this is a problem is a solid first step, I’m not sure I, nor my peers, are ready to kick our CrackBerry habit just yet.
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September 10th, 2008 at 2:32 pm
Blackberries suck, and so do the drones who use them. Get an iPhone, or a Symbian phone.
September 16th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Rachel,
must admit I wasn’t even aware of BBM-ing when I wrote the article, and it is a phenomenon (probably) new enough to have developed after that article, and Mara’s was written. My observation is that it is the predictable outcome of what happens when you make texting free- god help us all.
I have a blackberry now, and must say I’ve only used BBM once- and have sinced refused to add other people,mainly because I might thne reach crackberry status myself.
Best thing ever is to recognise an unhealthy thing and keep doing it anyway.
I guess that’s what college years are for……
October 31st, 2008 at 2:13 pm
[...] loser waiting for class to begin you don’t whip out your Blackberry Storm and start texting (BBM-ing? Is that what its called?) a random [...]