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First I need to state that the below is an editorial. What that means is that the opinions expressed below are mine alone as a personal human being and are not the opinions of BBGeeks.com as a whole or its parent company.

With that out of the way, a few weeks ago, I noticed that Chris Butler had done a post asking if the BlackBerry rules your life via our Twitter feed. I then saw a post this week about how your BlackBerry can’t love you back that was referencing a post we did this summer about heightening BlackBerry addiction. And I think all of us have seen an article or two about how the BlackBerry is becoming commonplace - maybe too commonplace - and for some, at a price in their personal lives.

Some of the below were ones that resonated with me for various reasons:

Blackberry email devices can be so addictive that owners may need to be weaned off them with treatment similar to that given to drug users, experts warned today. They said the palmtop gadgets, which have been nicknamed ‘crackberries’ because users quickly become hooked on them, could be seriously damaging to mental health. [BlackBerry addiction 'similar to drugs']

I’m definitely addicted to my BlackBerry according to “society standards”. I check it many, many times throughout the day. I’ve experienced the phantom ringtone (thought for me, it is more like a phantom vibration) more times than I can count. I never forget it, and the less than a handful amount of times I’ve had, I’ve turned around to go home and retrieve it - even if it meant being late to the place I’m headed.

Ninety percent of individuals at the company studied said they felt some degree of compulsion in their BlackBerry use. They check their messages not only on evenings and weekends, but also at church, at the gym, at the doctor’s office and even at social gatherings. All this despite the fact that their company doesn’t require them to be on call. [BlackBerry addiction starts at the top]

I admit to taking my BlackBerry everywhere at all times. I’ve checked it on the treadmill at the gym. I always have it at social gatherings. I hook the thing to my pajama pants on the weekend mornings. It is the first thing I put on and the last thing I take off on a daily basis. My friends joke that you can spot pictures of me with my face cut off if my “BlackBerry hip” is showing. There is only one time when my BlackBerry is ignored and I’m going to have to let you guess when that is.

And while my company doesn’t require me to be on call, I feel the need to be since I am the CEO even though I’m sure the company wouldn’t explode if I didn’t get every single email instantaneously.

There is a new member of the family, and, like all new siblings, this one is getting a disproportionate amount of attention, resulting in jealousy, tantrums, even trips to the therapist. It’s the BlackBerry. BlackBerry oprhans]

This article was the one that definitely made me think about the issue the hardest. I have children. And I will fully admit to my three year old having a fake cell phone clipped to his hip that he called a “BwackBerry” once or twice in his life. I’ve stood outside my daughter’s school emailing on the BlackBerry while waiting for her to be released. I’ve taken it with me to school functions. My kids have grown up in a BlackBerry household and I’d bet they don’t remember a time without it.

Reading these articles, I am this “victim” (and in some opinions, have made my children victims) of all the above BlackBerry harm on my life. But, here’s the thing… I don’t see the BlackBerry as being an “issue” in my life. I’m sure some people will argue, but all I can do is give you my, non researcher, devout BlackBerry user side of things.

The first thing I should point out is that my significant other in life is also a devout BB user. He uses it as frequently as I do and you’d be hard pressed to find either of us in the house at any point in time without the BlackBerry within reaching distance. So, I don’t have a resentful partner seething every time I pick the thing up. In all honesty, we’re both glad to have a partner who understands and allows our attachment to the device. Sure, there are ground rules and some times that are off limits (we wouldn’t start texting on messenger while arguing for instance - we are *sane*) but for the most part, 98% BlackBerry infiltration is accepted. Additionally, we talk on messenger throughout the day - so the BlackBerry actually allows us to have *more* contact with each other than we would without it.

Additionally, I work in the Internet sector as do most of my friends. Almost everyone I know and see on a daily basis is attached to the web remotely - be it via a BlackBerry, Treo or other smartphone. Myself and two friends will go to lunch with all of us checking our BlackBerries randomly throughout the meal. Friends without smartphones are so used to a large percentage of us having them that they see their presence in everyday activities as “normal”.

We all utilize our BlackBerries not only as business tools, but also to speak with each other on BlackBerry messenger, to communicate with each other through Facebook, via SMS for those without smartphones… you get the picture.

That said, I’d be lying if I said there hadn’t been times that the BlackBerry has alienated people. I visited a friend last year and upon arriving home, he informed me that his wife had mentioned I had been quite rude throughout the trip. I was utterly confused and then he told me it was because I was “always on the BlackBerry”. He explained that while he was used to it after years of being friends with me, his wife was not and thought the constant checking of my BlackBerry was rude.

Being surrounded by BB acceptance the way that I am has indeed created a much higher “acceptable use” threshold in my day to day life than the general world will tolerate. As a result, I try to limit my BlackBerry usage when in those “non techie” circles, though it is still with me and still checked. Just not while someone is talking to me or I’m at a dinner table.

As far as my children go, I can’t say for sure what goes on in their minds. What I can say is that a BlackBerry is an appliance that has been present in their lives as far back as they can remember. Like a computer, or television - the BlackBerry has always been in our household. Granted, the BlackBerry is also attached to my hip, but much like a child of a career military soldier adapts to moving around a lot, kids can also adapt to the presence of electronic devices - especially when they’ve been present all their lives.

My children also know that the BlackBerry allows me to do things I otherwise wouldn’t be able to do. I can attend field trips during the day because I can deal with business related issues from the road if they come up. We can go to a movie on the night of an important technical upgrade because if something happens, I can be reached. And the reason my children have what they have in life is because of my dedication to work - which includes being available whenever the need arises. But instead of being at my office until 8 p.m. on hectic nights, I’m at home, on the couch, watching TV with them. Yes, my BlackBerry needs to be within reach… but I can’t help think it is better to have me at home with a BlackBerry then have me at the office without one.

I don’t see a severely detrimental issue with my BlackBerry usage - even though my usage of it is at “addiction levels” based on the opinions in the above articles. It causes no strife in my relationship with my significant other, it has not caused any issue that has been verbalized by my children at home and allows me to have the best of both worlds. And in the end, that is what technology is supposed to make it easier to do, right?

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