A hand-held device which serves as a cellular
phone, personal organizer, wireless
Internet browser, speakerphone, long-range digital walkie-talkie, and
mini-laptop which can send and receive email from just about anywhereThis status-game also extends to the hierarchies of corporate “
roll-out” of BlackBerrys –to the
issues of who has one and who doesn’t. Becoming part of the BlackBerry tier, however, brings its own status-anxieties: now your
boss knows you have a BlackBerry, he or she will be expecting you to use it properly,i.e. instantly, constantly. Here’
s how reporter Janine Gibson captured this: The “tiered roll out” … common to every organization that gives BlackBerrys to its staff means that anyone who is likely to send you an email at 11pm or at the weekend is senior to you. And they know you’ve
got a BlackBerry. If you don’t respond swiftly then you
don’t care enough to check. Over a period of weeks, this can result in
two symptoms:paranoia and obsessively speedy reactions. The culture of the company you work for has
already changed at “higher tiers” without you realizing, and now you are part of it.
The Manager is in Hawaii, the
CEO is in Mexico, and the Assistant Vice President is in Equador, yet they are all present at the 11:00 executive board meeting. How? They Blackberry'd it. Many companies are now using Blackberrys to have meetings.
My thumbs hurt. I've been using my Blackberry a lot, and "thumbing". Now i've
got Blackberry
thumb.
