“Turn the damn thing off”

In 1986 when I was selling one of the first cellular phones in Denver, a prospect said to me, “I don’t want a phone in my car. It’s the only place where no one can find me.” It actually caught me off guard, but as the months progressed, I got better and better at handling that objection. First I retorted that, “it has a ‘POWER button’ and you can turn it off if you don’t want to be disturbed.” Then I added the all powerful: It is a tool for you to use when you chose to: power it up, power it down, give your phone number out, or don’t give your phone number out.

That helped me sell a lot of phones, along with an ROI that it was giving people the ability to buy more (productive) time. When Caller ID hit in the early ‘90’s, it was fantastic. You could freely give your number out, and then screen your calls. With this capability, nearly all cellular numbers made it onto business cards. By the late ‘90’s cellular became like a garage door opener: once you got used to just pushing the button during a big rain or snow and driving on in, no one ever goes back to getting out of the car to lift the door. "How did you ever live without it?"

Last week, a good friend was lamenting about his newly acquired first Blackberry: It was becoming all consuming to him. I said, “Well, what did you expect? That’s why they’re called ‘Crack’berrys.” He went on and on about going on vacation and constantly looking at it. I said, “Turn the damn thing off and stop bothering everyone else.”

Is History repeating itself? Not exactly: Early cellular was car based. Most people jealously guarded their mobile number. Minutes of Use were 10X the cost or more. It was primarily a local calling apparatus.

Since then, technology has given us incredible advancements in the cellular networks, devices and software. Given that e-mails, within the broader internet were predicated on a model that had zero incremental cost, and our e-mail could be read anywhere at any time: Everyone has an expectation that you will read your e-mail and respond. Maybe you will do it instantly, or eventually. However since the written medium has more permanence than the spoken word, the record of the request forces an action.

This 'semi-formal record' is what causes the uneasiness and anxiety about Blackberries. Consciously or unconsciously someone has documented an attempt to reach you. Whether the message was sent to your desk, or to your mobile, the sender doesn’t know or care. What weighs on your mind as the receiver, is conscious knowledge that these obligations (e-mails) are building.

Like 22 years ago, my advice is the same. Having these devices allows me to control my time. I think they are great, but I won’t ever let it control me: The Blackberry is my tool to control and not the other way around. Know when to say when and just put it away when appropriate.

There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. It’s not the Blackberry itself that is causing this much stress, it’s their owners.