Jamaica is largely a trend market, especially as it concerns mobile phones. As such in an instant the Blackberry (BB) moved from being a powerful business tool to a must have social and fashion accessory. The device allows complete access to every application that will allow people to ring, ding, @, buzz, ping and even poke you and once they do that the LED indicator flashes. Unfortunately the social etiquette that is required in all communication has not yet caught up to the new mobile means of social networking. Your time is now demanded rather than requested, “What’s your pin?” before “what’s your name and number?” and finally “Ping!” has become the official conversation starter, rather than “Hi, how are you?”
The BB is now an appendage of most of Kingston’s social elites, competing with the likes of the Apple iPhone and frankly, it seems “#TeamBlackBerry” is winning. Crowds at events and gatherings individually petitioned by their flashing lights pour over their BBs rarely looking up. It has not just infiltrated Pop Culture; socially but has made its way into our music, poetry, photography, comedy and other art forms, thus cementing it in our timeline forever.
In my experience, if you want to stay in the loop, on top of things and “in the know“ in 2010 a BB is essential. However, when we are asked ten years from now “what did you do in 2010?” just as we ask now of Y2k, our response should read; “I looked up!” I looked up from my BB and enjoyed my date. I looked up from my BB and had fun, so much fun I couldn’t even tweet. Our response should read I was involved actively in the affairs of my country in 2010. I was doing rather than reporting, I was engaged fully in her eyes when she laughed or his lips when he whispered my name rather than the BBM they sent. I’m not alone; there are many of us who think that a break from technology to experience nature and to taste life rather than to read it is very important. There are those who have begun taking breaks, to “plug out of the matrix” and as a web developer I recommend it. Technology should enhance life, not replace it.
