In an age when it seems as if some people can’t get enough of their handheld devices, the phenomenon of the crackberry has emerged. Actually there are two forms of crackberry, both of them related back to current electronic technology. Here are the two definitions for crackberry, including some tips to help determine if you are part of this latest situation.
The first definition for crackberry is all about obsession. Persons who are so enamored of using their Blackberry® handheld devices that they seem to always have them in hand have been nicknamed crackberries. To be fair, not every Blackberry® user can be classified as a crackberry. While acknowledging how addictive Blackberry® use can be for many people, the true crackberry is an individual who chooses to never be without their trusty Blackberry®.
This kind of person may use it during meetings, business luncheons, while driving, and even at the dinner table at home. A true sign of the obsessive Blackberry® addict is that upon rising in the morning, the user reaches for the Blackberry® before doing anything else. All of life revolves around the Blackberry®, to the extent that friends will send text messages and emails in order to communicate with their loved one, since verbal communication is apt to be a dead end.
The second definition has to do with the Blackberry® hand held device itself. Noting the manner in which many people have become unduly obsessed with using the device, there are those that have begun to refer to the Blackberry® as a Crackberry. Blame for the obsessive behavior is laid at the feet of the creators of the Blackberry®, rather than at the people who operate the devices. The rationale is that otherwise sensible people are being seduced into an alternative lifestyle by all the bells and whistles on the Blackberry®, and that the device itself deserves to be derided for what it is doing to social skills in our culture.
For those that see the Blackberry phenomenon as a full-blown epidemic, there is not much difference between a crackberry and anyone that suffers from substance abuse or Internet addiction. In fact, some say the only way to kick the habit is to junk the devices and coerce the users back into a state where face to face communication becomes necessary.
While many see the term crackberry as a way at poking fun at the latest technology, others see the obsession with Blackberry services as one more example of how physical social interaction is eroding in our society. Perhaps you have Blackberry® users in your circle of friends. If so, ask them their opinion on the whole crackberry concept. Just be prepared to receive their response in the form of an email or text message.