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Would it shock you to learn that the BlackBerry is so addictive it‘s earned the nickname ―CrackBerry‖? Mark Guilbert, vice president of corporate marketing for BlackBerry maker

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Research in Motion, says it is especially suited to ―a Type A person who wants to be in the loop as fast as possible. It‘s very satisfying to be able to answer your emails while waiting for an elevator or standing in line for a taxi.‖ But staying in the loop can take a physical toll: Doctors are seeing some increase in tendinitis and carpal tunnel syndrome among users. The condition even has a name: BlackBerry Thumb.

Sprained digits aside, here‘s my worry: Once we all have such devices (if you think it won‘t happen, just recall how scarce cell phones were in 1994), will we be able to kick the habit?

Capturing Eyeballs

On top of eating up our time and attention, all this connectivity is changing the language we use. Take the popular ―instant messaging‖ feature – first popularized by AOL – that lets you type a note to a friend and have it appear instantly on the friend‘s computer screen. The fast-paced nature of Iming (Instant messaging) helped spread on-line shorthand, which AOL has compiled in a 77-term ―dictionary‖: LOL (―laughing out loud‖); IMO (―in my opinion‖); YT? (―You there?‖). Don‘t forget AFAIK (―as far as I know‖), and DQMOT (Don‘t quote me on this). Chamath Palihapitiya, AOL‘s vice president for instant messaging, says he often has five distinct IM conversations going at once while at work. I‘m sure this greatly enhances his productivity, but come on: Five simultaneous dialogues, each one made up mostly of acronyms? Is this really ―conversation‖?

With cell phones already featuring Web browsers, email and streaming video, being connected at all times is already appealing in a diabolical way. So what‘s next? Wireless networks will grow stronger and reach farther. And new devices will make it even more fun to connect from remote locations. A company called Micro-vision is developing portable displays that will change how we view information when we‘re away from our desks (if we have desks). Company CEO Rick Rutkowski describes a future in which a pair of Micro-vision glasses projects high-definition images directly onto your retinas. Painful as it sounds, Micro-vision says there are no adverse health effects. Instead of surfing the Web on a two-inch cell-phone screen, put on Micro-vision specs and download movies onto your eyeballs on the equivalent of a 100-inch big screen.

Is that really what we want – each of us lost in an artificially created and personally tailored world and totally oblivious to the really world beyond those high-tech lenses?

When that happens, I wonder if we may want to do more than just ratchet things back, and instead cut the cords of constant connectivity entirely. I also wonder if it won‘t be too late by then. I wonder, but I don‘t have the answer. And, anyway, I‘m busy – I really need to go check my email. (947 words)

Questions for comprehension

1. 2. 3. 4.

Why did the author feel a pang in the Himalayas?

What does the author think of the lifestyle of people living in the 21st century? Why is a BlackBerry an addictive device from the author‘s perspective? Do you consider online shorthand a blessing or a curse? And why?

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