• by Seana Mulcahy , May 9, 2005

Look around. Anywhere. Yes, anywhere: On the train going to work, dropping the kids off at school, their soccer game this past weekend, the movies, meetings, the airport...anywhere. What do you see? Most likely the bulk of the people are on their mobile devices. If not they've got them close at hand - in their pockets, clipped onto their belts, floating around a purse. My guess is that their device is never more than a ring or two away.

I went to a concert last night and was amazed when I looked around. It was general admission, so everyone was standing trying to wiggle their way in to get a better view of the stage. Throughout the entire show people had their phones on. They were actually trying to make phone calls. This 23-year-old girl next to me was actually texting as she held a beer and jumped up and down to the music. Everyone with a camera phone (myself included I must admit) held them up trying to get the perfect shot.

I of course slid my phone in my pocket, never thinking there might be the possibility they weren't allowed. Seems like everyone else did too. I was so surprised that I had to continually reposition myself behind the tiny screens of cameras all night long. As I kept looking at the young girl beside me (in part because she kept banging into me), I felt like a geezer. I remembered what concerts were like when I was her age and I wished for a mobile-free landscape once again.

Recently I read an article in The Boston Globe by Maggie Jackson. The title caught my eye, "Giving up on gadgets: Tech refuseniks junk their cell phones, handheld." At first glimpse, I was horrified. I thought it was a story of some commune off the coast of Maine or something. I was wrong. According to the article, it is a small but growing number of people who thoughtfully choose which gadgets they adopt.

The very thought of tech refuseniks turned me upside down. We are all trying to stay ahead of the curve in regard to digital marketing and media on devices. The SMS marketing is growing. The ringtone market is explosive. Many of our campaigns today integrate devices. How could someone get rid of something so addictive?

I could identify with this a bit, though. I, probably like you, had a mobile phone, a PC, and a Palm pilot back in the day. As soon as the Blackberry phone came out, I got one. Being the quasi-geeky-gadget girl that I am, I was excited to play around with it and use it right away. I sent e-mails right away from my desk even though my PC was right there. I sent them from the car while parked, from my kitchen table...you see where this is going. Of course this device was then dubbed "Crackberry" because you simply cannot put it down.

My friends and family loved the fact that they could finally access me when they wanted. However, they grew frustrated when I was always preoccupied with the device. I didn't realize this until a devine intervention one day. I was shocked and thought, was I actually doing that? Yes, I was guilty as charged. I thought about it and missed my tiny little phone I could slip into my pocket. Besides the Blackberry was like putting a large bar of soap up to my face. I could never get it so I could listen and speak at the same time. I decided to turn it back in and switch to my old ways in order to redeem myself in my personal life. As I did, I activated my Palm again. I was aggravated at the fact that I would now have two devices to tote around. Then I realized I was missing the point. If I was going to do this, I may as well have kept the Blackberry. So I decided not to activate it. I even went so far as to almost always keep my phone on vibrate. I've also begun to shut it off at times.

While I forfeited one device, I am a far cry from a tech refusenik. However, I do understand the mentality. Is there a point when we become too accessible? The next time I'm in line at the grocery store and some guy has "The Star Spangled Banner" blaring from his phone, I may just think so.