I’m a late adopter, or “laggard” in marketing parlance, when it comes to technology. I didn’t have a cell phone until 2004 – which was very late by the standards at that time. Finally, my work demanded it (not my employer, but just what I was doing – I needed one). And I got all sorts of grief from friends until I got one. And, ultimately, I was glad after I got one. (No more, “We changed plans and tried to call you…”)
I didn’t get a smart phone until January of this year. Again, very late – probably 3 years – by the standards of my profession and friends. My logic for not having one was, basically, “They (my clients and friends) can wait (generally e-mail related).” I used to tell clients, “Let’s keep it simple. If you can’t reach me, the answer’s no.” That was quaint for a while, but then a handful of issues came up that “needed” more immediate attention and… I caved. And now I’m glad I have the old Blackberry Storm II, or whatever the hell mine’s called. It’s pretty handy and I am in NO way addicted to it. I only use it for calls and the occasional email and text. But my usage is probably in the bottom quintile of all Blackberry users. But when I really need it – which may only be a few times a month – I’m damn glad I have it.
One of my biggest issues with cell/smart phones is that folks seem more reluctant to “plan” than they did 10 years ago. Everything’s up in the air because everyone can be contacted with changes at the last minute. So, it’s rare to just say, “Let’s meet at 8pm at XYZ.” It’s more like, “I’ll call you later and we’ll figure it out,” which results in what I call “plan shopping.” The same applies to business. If you know you can reach folks at the last minute, that’s what you do. So, my main complaint with the cell/smart phone era is that folks are reticent to make plans and stick to them, which is my personal preference.
But the reality is that that’s the way things work today. So, you have a choice – participate or not. I think in this day and age not having a cell phone is a social (and in many cases business) handicap. If plan shopping weren’t so routine, it wouldn’t be such a big deal. But folks today are used to being able to change things on a whim. And the land line just doesn’t cut it. But if you can make do with the land line alone, more power to ya.
