Does she have an extra hand....no thats just her phone

Last Wednesday Robert Martin from MM2 Public Relations came to our class and was speaking about the growing importance of smart phones. As I listened I kept thinking what’s so great about smart phones. Then I realized that my phone was not just a device that I used to call home every Sunday night, it has become an extra appendage of body. My blackberry is literally attached to my person at all times. It has become a kind of security blanket that links me to every aspect of my life.

As I pondered my dependency on this rectangle of metal and plastic I began to think about the days when people didn’t rely on their cell phones for the latest gossip or breaking news, the days when people received news at 5:00 pm everyday or heard the latest office scandal at the water cooler. This brought on the thought, are we too connected? Have we reached the point where we have become prisoners to technology?

Think about it, fifteen years ago when my parents left the office at five they went home, had dinner with my family and enjoyed a relaxing evening. Now, when they leave the office my mom and dad's phones are buzzing off the hook with emails from clients half way around the world, text messages from their employees or frantic phone calls from their assistants. They are never out of reach unless they literally throw their phones out the window, because heaven forbid they ever turn them off. I think because we rely so much on our phones and technology and this constant obsession of being connected we are depersonalizing our relationships, whether it be work or personal.

I know that I would be a huge hypocrite if I said that I wish we could revert back to the “water cooler” days because I love being constantly connected via my phone and other technology and I too am guilty of being a “crackberry” user, however I do wish I could find a balance between electronic and face-to-face conversation. I want to be able to see the expression on my friends face when they tell me what’s going on in their lives. Who knows if this is possible anymore with our dependency on technology, I guess maybe I need to invest in an Iphone so I can do “Facetime”…

p.s.

The irony of my dependency of my smart phone, is I thought it would be a good idea to do this from my Blackberry to further prove my point....It saved to drafts instead of posting...and I just noticed.. maybe smart phones aren't that great after all.