According to Management-Issues, addiction to one’s Crackberry can be as serious as addition to booze. Although, I scoff at such nonsense. Does one lose their job, friends and family over a Crackberry? No. Does one wake up in strange apartments or alleyways because of Crackberry addiction? Maybe.
At any rate, the article does shine some light on this very real depenency.
Some Blackberry addicts can only manage a few minutes without checking email, she said. Another tell-tale sign of addiction is a user who concentrates on the device and ignores everything and everyone else around them.
The study of more than 250 BlackBerry usres found that more than a third had been “rescued” by their BlackBerry on more than five occasions. And unsurprisingly, many also feel far more stressed when they do not have their precious device with them.
The T-Mobile poll found that one in 10 would be “devastated” if their BlackBerry was taken away, while more than a third said they would feel more stressed when out of the office. A further one in five also felt they would be unable to cope with their current workload.
On a normal day, I’m fine… but when I’m travelling, not having the Blackberry makes me incredibly stressed. In a strange city, it’s basically my lifeline – phone, email, google maps for when I inevitably get lost. Plus, without it, how am I supposed to pull it out in public places to underscore how important I am?