Crack-black-berrie: the addiction of choice for all corporate climbers

I have a friend. We'll call him Brant. Brant has a Blackberrie -- an older model, nothing too fancy, but a Blackberrie nonetheless. Recently (as in a day or two before my birthday in August) I had the opportunity to speak with Brant. I was in Toronto on my cell phone; he was in backwoods Ontario...on his Blackberrie.

I relate this story for two reasons. One: to demonstrate how powerful our ability to connect is these days. Two: to display the absurdity of this connection (who takes their Blackberrie camping????)

Now the absurdity is beginning to spiral out of control -- American-style.

We all know that Americans have a penchant for litigation. Spill a cup of scalding hot coffee - sue the company. Find a fake finger in your fries, sue the company.

Now, academics in the US are anticipating another slew of corporate lawsuits, this time regarding the Blackberrie.

In a New York Sun article, published yesterday, a management expert from Rutger's School of Business predicted that a soon-to-be-published study will prompt a wave of protest and litigation as disgruntled workers realize how fed-up they with their digital personal assistants.

The root cause: technology addiction.

This management expert also predicted that this phenomena could cost corporate America millions of dollars.

"If companies develop a culture in which people are expected to be available 24 hours a day, then they should be prepared for the physical and psychological consequences," Rutger's management expert, Gayle Porter said. "Addicts exhibit extreme behavior and have no control over themselves. So a corporation handing someone a BlackBerry on his first day of work could be seen as enabling, even accelerating, a serious addiction to technology."

Good Lord.

Does that mean we should sue the corner-store attendant for distribution of scratch-n-wins? Or fine the casino owners, blackjack dealers and roulette spinners for making the gambling addict more accessible to their drug of choice? I know, why don't we close down all the liquor stores, smoke shops and, while we're at it, the busty n' lusty sex stores -- they spread nothing but vice and fixation.

I do believe that workaholism is a serious issue. I lived with one: it is a serious issue. However, holding corporations to account for behaviour that we must take responsibility for is just one more way of not taking responsibility.

Yes, addiction exists. And yes, people need help, which can come in the form of complete abstinence. In this sense, I believe corporate America (Canada, etc.) needs to take into consideration that certain people should have the option to opt out -- to choose alternative methods for communication and functionality. And this option works. My father, bless his soul, was a very hard-working, very well-respected man. He spent his career communicating large concepts and ensuring that all sides were on the same page. He spent his career working hard -- often surpassing the regular 9 to 5 day that is required of some. However, he also spent his career avoiding the technology of entrapment. He "lost" two cellphones. Broke five pagers and actually had the nerve to take in a laptop whose keyboard was completely destroyed (truth be told, my father wanted to watch the cat have a bit of fun). The fact is, my father communicated on time, on schedule, and, when necessary, on demand without the aid of 24/7 technology. The reason: he was responsible. He knew when he needed to step up and he didn't need a little gadget to prompt or remind him.

So, while we thumb-text our way into technology dependence, I think I will sit back, put my cell phone on vibrate and follow the way of my father.

For more information on the crack-berrie phenomenom go to:
http://www.nysun.com/article/39212