Mar 27 2008
Is your Blackberry turning you into a social outcast?
With recent news of French president Zarkozy pecking away at his Blackberry during a visit with the pope, I can’t resist the urge to rant on the subject of social behavior and technology.
Back a number of years ago (OK more than a few). I recall an annoying problem with people answering the phone while I’m in their office or even at their homes while we’re engaging social discourse, It always bothered me so I made to never do the same. Whomever was calling could wait until I picked up the message.
Then cell phones came along and exacerbated the problem. Now it could happen anywhere at anytime. As we all know, this resulted in a social backlash and created in an awareness of social etiquette. Now you can even be ticketed for driving while talking the cell.
Then text messaging came along and created a whole new set of problems. It seems that some people thought that non-verbal interruption in person-to-person settings was OK. there is a perception that if you turn your back or place the device under the table while pecking away with your digits no one will mind…
Now cells are wired to the web and you can surf, email, instant message and twitter away. So we now have another new set of problems and new learning on social interaction is in order. Digital prowess does not impress. The Blackberry does not contain the codes for an emergency nuclear missile response. It can wait; believe me, almost nobody that important.
I love being wired and would not have it any other way. But there is a good deal of social behavior that needs to be refined as technology changes.
