I get all kinds of reactions from people when they find out I don’t have a mobile yet.  Some are envious.  Some wonder what sort of a bigshot I must be to be able to afford the luxury of living without such a necessity.  I can’t swear I’ve never walked into a telephone pole, though I’m sure I never required treatment for such an incident.

I was once compelled by an employer to have a mobile for work purposes. I used it as little as possible and threw it in the bin the day I retired. People are losing touch with reality living in a virtual world allowing themselves to be dictated to by ever intrusive technology; for what? So they can become ever more ‘productive’ today’s buzz word for allowing oneself to become more and more emeshed in the increasingly intrusive demands of commerce.
My advice - get a life!

What does “always on” connectivity do for a business though? Surely it makes the business totally reliant on the “always on” individual. My personal experiences with execs and BlackBerry devices or their equivalent is that they tend to actively encourage micromanagement in the exec - and lock them into a constant cycle of “always getting involved” rather than learning to delegate, to work *on* the business rather than *in* the business, to coach their staff to use their own initiative, to improve authorisation and escalation processes so they don’t depend on a single individual… etc. I think BlackBerrys and other mobile devices are great for on-the-road sales staff and field technicians. But others? Hmmm. Take a *break* when you leave the office. Delegate your authority to someone else. Unplug. And then let creative ideas on how to improve your business just bubble up through the resulting peace and quiet (or talk to your spouse or take your kids to the park and have a game of catch). :-)

I recently had dinner with three friends.  Two were Blackberry-wielding, texting-all-throughout-dinner types who gabbed with their lawyers, subordinates, managers, overseas contacts, mother-in-law, etc., etc. instead of enjoying a quiet evening with friends.  The third was enjoying the night as we joked the two work-centered-aholics and talked about our families, projects, and almost anything under the sun.  Since I knew all of them (I was their banker after all), I was chuckling inside whenever I remembered that the silent one was earning much more than the two busybodies combined.  In fact, this guy told me a couple of times in the past that texting and mobile phone calls merely distract him from the more serious task of making money and doing deals.  It’s true, these tools make you look busy, but unless you control them, they’ll control you and prevent you from having your cake and eating it too.  I think those who use mobiles 24/7 (or at least give the impression of doing so) are emotionally insecure and crying out for attention.

I leave my mobile phone at home once in a while for a reality check. AT home I leave it in my room so that I my family can enjoy my company

This reminds of the commercial in which the guy is sitting on the beach with his laptop (connected to wireless internet) and apparitions of his co-workers appear one after another to complement him on his great work. It ends with him fondling his USB internet device (No, I don’t care what it’s really called) and saying “The whole office needs this!”

It makes me want to scream “You think you’re beautifying your work environment with a lovely beach, but you’re actually polluting a lovely beach with work. Think about it”

My Blackberry is invaluable to me on my long commute to and from work on the bus and train.  I read the news, read and send email, organize my schedule, listen to music or audio books, and even make notes for classes I give.  As soon as I get to work or arrive home, however, it stays in my purse.  And the ringer is always on silent mode.  Technology is neither good nor evil - it’s how we use it that matters.  And the onus is on us to exercise self-mastery as users and consumers, whether the item in question is the latest digital device or a bag of potato chips.

In this digital age technology mobile gadgets are really handy to be always connected with work, friends, colleagues, the news, the gossip, the whole world. I agree with Maria that we just need to exercise self-mastery over these gadgets.  Thats why I still use a pen and notebook (not a laptop) because I think my handwriting connects me to myself.  I would love to own a blackberry though and enjoy its features and then unplug myself to enjoy people’s features.

One of my friends is a teacher at a secondary college and he told me that most of his students now communicate with each other via mobile phone text messages.  They do so even when they can see each other a few metres away in the school yard.

This is sad. It must have negative implications for students’ social interaction and it must be a drain on their finances. I just don’t know how they can afford it.  I suppose many parents have to pay the bills.

As a means of communication with friends you see every day, it’s pathetic. My friend has noticed a serious decline in his students’ ability to communicate, both in writing and orally. This makes sense because text messages are basically short-hand and use all sorts of codes rather than a rich conventional vocabulary.