How Blackberry Messenger Changes Our Culture - Essay Example

Jim Savio and Van Every Communication and Technology Tuesday, April 3, BlackBerry Messenger: Changing Our Culture The Saudi Arabian government is demanding a ban on BlackBerry Messenger, but is the underlying reason for this move? In August of 2010, the Saudi government asked all telecommunications firms to block BlackBerry Messengers for the purpose of national security concerns. The secrecy behind BlackBerry Messenger comes across as dangerous to countries that wish to limit communication and rebellious uprisings among their populations. Fromhe the perspective of the Saudi government,is that the BlackBerry is a tool that can specifically be used to organize their opponents together. This social and political impact is just one example of how technology can have an effect on a society. The real question is can this social communicating device put a society in danger? This essay will show the opposite through many examples; the BlackBerry is a fundamental tool for social change and is a clear example of how human communication has changed dramatically over the past few decades. Communication among humans has a long and varied history. Historically, there has been a long battle to control communication between those in power and those who wish to communicate. It is not it the elite or power group’s interest to allow lower classes to have the ability to communicate among themselves on a mass scale. However, human nature shows that we wish to communicate with others no matter the circumstances or boundaries against us. From children passing notes in class to slave drum circles, people have always found ways to adjust and create new forms of communication. Because of effects of the events of last year’s “Arab Spring,” it is no wonder that certain Middle Eastern countries have become afraid of the potential that social networking has to effect great social change. It is commonly believed that the Egyptian revolution began on Facebook; this is vastly different from the way previous social revolutions were conducted. In the times gone by, revolutions started in dark basements and back alleys; nowadays, people can just turn on their computer or smart phone and they have the ability to communicate with a large group of people almost instantly. The old method was illustrated in a recent article on foriegnaffairs.com: “In 1919, U.S. President Woodrow Wilsons Fourteen Points speech, which helped spark the 1919 upheavals, made its way around the world by telegraph. The uprisings of 1919 also suggest that the calculated spread of popular movements, seen across the Arab world last winter, is not a new phenomenon. The Egyptian Facebook campaigners are the modern incarnation of Arab nationalist networks, whose broadsheets disseminated strategies for civil disobedience throughout the region in the years after World War I” (Anderson, 2011). The exchange of information has become so rapid and convenient now that revolutions have the ability to spread like wildfire. This was simply not possible in the past because it took a long time to organize civil protests; this gave the ruling powers sufficient time to stamp out any uprising before it potentially began. A country Saudi Arabia has much to fear from devices like BlackBerry Messenger, as Saudi Arabia is well known for being one of the most conservative countries in the Middle East. Recently, the Saudi government has banned several Internet websites, including Amnesty International and Warner Bros (Harvard Cyber Law). It is obvious that Saudi Arabia is intent on monitoring and censoring everything that their citizens can access, but is BlackBerry Messenger so dangerous that it is a threat to national security? They cannot stop people from speaking to one another because humans will naturally find another way; hence, blocking BlackBerry Messenger is not a valid option. If they are so concerned that outsiders are influencing the minds of their citizens, then it may be better for the Saudi government to block communications between non-Saudis and Saudi citizens. It was reported that the form of communication most used during the London riots of 2011 was BlackBerry Messenger because this device is actually cheaper and more accessible to British teens than either the Android or iPhone (Tayor). BlackBerry messages are not immediately traceable because of the PIN requirement—conversations are private. This made it difficult for the authorities to find the instigators of the riots; this was to the advantage of the rioters. This would certainly be a cause for concern for any country in which there is reason for the people to be angry and want to overthrow their government. I do not foresee a revolution in Saudi Arabia anytime soon, either with or without BlackBerry Messenger. However, if there was one, then I’m sure that BlackBerry Messenger would be a very popular choice for communication among the protesters. What cannot be disputed is that the more a country tries to oppress its people, the more they want to fight back. This is simply human nature; BlackBerry Messenger is just a tool that can be used to facilitate the social needs of humans worldwide. If BlackBerry Messenger did not exist, then I’m sure that another device would simply replace it. In light of the entire world becoming more technologically advanced, we have begun to see the cultural effects from this technology. It can be said that mankind has a desire to invent things that make everyday tasks easier, faster, and more efficient. One such task is the desire to communicate, especially with people around the world. “Communication over long distances was made easier when Samuel Morse developed Morse code in 1835. This system sent messages in the form of an electrical current over telegraph wires; operators read this as dots and dashes. Alexander Graham Bell improved communication even more when he invented the telephone in 1876” (Mezensky, 2012). It cannot be denied that technology has improved business through connecting people that may be in different parts of the world, but it has also taken its toll on personal relationships. It is a common scene to see people having a meal at a restaurant, but usually everybody is looking at their phones and don’t even talk to one another. Specifically, BlackBerry Messenger has people so enthralled with display pictures and status updates that they aren’t interested in their families or the people who are physically around them. This is because they have a whole new world in their palms. Having a smart phone might make somebody more connected and a better employee, but what has it done for our personal relationships? Due to all of the positive attributes of BlackBerry Messenger, it is difficult to find any flaws or negative side effects that it may bring. This device is like many things in this world—advances in technology are changing our world for the better in some instances, but for the worse in others. The improvement of business with smart phones, specifically Blackberry Messenger, has led to higher efficiency and quality in the business world. But this has come at the expense of the user’s personal life. Employees who use a BlackBerry are always on call and checking their emails long after they have left the office. With the development of social networking, people are able to communicate with one another much faster and more frequently. A negative consequence of this is that people are also spending less and less time with their families. Children and teens have begun to rely on their smart phones for everything and are not interacting as much with their neighbors and friends. If they average teen had a choice between going to a friend’s house or chatting on BlackBerry Messenger, then they would likely choose the latter. In addition to its obvious attributes, Blackberry Messenger has become a device that gives its users amazing functions. As a result, people are suddenly incapable of being without their smart phones. The BlackBerry is a device that has become addictive. A BlackBerry user can no longer leave the house without taking it with them. In the past, people had to rely on having no phone at all; now it is strange that people cannot do without their phones even for a second. Although it is well-known that no had a mobile phone twenty years ago, everyone now has one and they are incapable of leaving home without knowing where their phone is. The BlackBerry device has become part of our everyday lives due to the applications that it offers. The BlackBerry is not only seen as a cellular device but unique, because of the BlackBerry Messenger applications that are used to promote sales of this device. Because of this amazing technological innovation, not to mention its immense popularity, conventional text messaging has decreased considerably. Some phone service providers even offer plans to international travelers in which the user can use their BlackBerry at a fixed cost per month rather than incurring high roaming charges. This has enabled people to stay connected even while traveling, and the fairly low rate saves the user a lot of money and hassle. Previously, travelers had to find an Internet cafe if they wanted to check their email, but now they can just pull out their smart phone and do all of this plus more. They can even look up important information such as the address of their embassy, for example. The use of BlackBerry Messenger has really changed the face of international travel. To truly understand why the BlackBerry and their users have become so inseparable, it is important to know what BlackBerry Messenger has to offer. The features of Blackberry are numerous, and its ability to facilitate communication around the world has made it a pioneer among smart phones. BlackBerry Messenger was the first type of smart phone; competitors have now come along and tried to outdo it. BlackBerry Messenger has empowered the user for longer than any other smart phone device. Even as the iPhone has become the fastest growing smart phone on the market, it still lacks the fundamental ability that makes the BlackBerry unique: its social networking feature. BlackBerry Messenger is unique in that “it enables you to communicate for free with people all across the world. You can send texts, videos, voice notes and much more to anyone across the world without having to pay” (Thomas, 2012). Blackberry Messenger has been creating useful devices since 1999, when it came out with a pager that was able to integrate with existing email. Since then, the company has grown to nearly fourteen million subscribers (“Joe,” 2008). Research in Motion (RIM), the parent company of BlackBerry, has done a great job of marketing its products for business and personal use. With technological advances in smart phones, RIM has managed to keep up with the needs of all of its users. With the exception of a three day blackout in late 2011 that left millions of users without service, BlackBerry generally has a good reputation and is relied upon by many as their portable computer (Sutter, 2011). However, this three-day blackout allowed many users to question the BlackBerry’s capability. BlackBerry Messenger allows users to send and receive instant messages with other BlackBerry users; it also informs the user when the message has been delivered and read (Blackberry.com). This feature is useful but can be controversial, especially if a user can see that their message has been read but not responded to. BlackBerry Messenger eliminates boundaries between countries by connecting people all around the globe. All one needs is the PIN number of another BlackBerry user and communication can begin. Also, BlackBerry Messenger has many qualities that allow group discussion rather than communication between two individuals, as most instant messaging and communication devices tend to be. A BlackBerry user can broadcast a message allows them to communicate their status and also display a picture, which adds a personal touch to the application. This application’s popularity allows it to be a tool that enables the user to advocate or advertise diverse information. The application is free, and unlike email, users can have several conversations at the same time. They also can chat with a group, see the availability of their contacts, send files, and track message statuses (Dannenfeldt). BlackBerry Messenger allows users to carry out numerous conversations simultaneously, create a group discussion, upload pictures, and discuss matters related to the group. BlackBerry users can send and receive unlimited messages worldwide with no per-message charge; it is also convenient to get messages without filling up your inbox (Dannenfeldt). With BlackBerry Messenger, users can stay informed about what their friends are doing through constant status and picture updates; the application can be run without having to stop any other apps from running. There is even a setting in which users can be notified by a specific ringtone or vibration setting each time a message arrives from a particular person (Blackberry.com) With all of these uses, it is no wonder that BlackBerry has so become so popular worldwide. With so many attributes, it’s difficult to find any disadvantages to using a BlackBerry, but there certainly are some. One disadvantage of BlackBerry Messenger is that you cannot send an instant message to someone unless you know his or her PIN code, which is the eight-digit letter-and-number code assigned to that particular BlackBerry device. The biggest disadvantage of BlackBerry Messenger, however, may be that it only allows you to exchange instant messages with other BlackBerry users. This was introduced in 2006 as a feature of BlackBerry Enterprise Server 4.1 (Blackberry.com). However, in a recent development, WhatsApp can be downloaded to the BlackBerry. WhatsApp enables the user to communicate with other smart phones that are not affiliated with BlackBerry (Whatsapp.com). As long as the user’s contacts have either BlackBerry Messenger or WhatsApp, then they will be able to maintain communication with them. With BlackBerry Messenger, the server stays involved just as it would if you were sending emails. All communications go through Research in Motions servers as you continue to exchange messages (Blackberry.com). This also means that you cant use BlackBerry Messenger unless you have a BlackBerry Internet or data plan. Many countries around the world have different packages that enable a BlackBerry user to use BlackBerry Messenger and the Internet. What makes the BlackBerry different from other messaging and communicating technologies is that it eliminates the middleman. The user is no longer required to access a website to have the capacity to communicate with multiple users or post information. While other devices are becoming more streamlined in their ability to access these social networking sites, BlackBerry Messenger makes the process instant. One downside to this feature is that it makes it more dangerous in the eyes of nervous governments rather than just simple social networking sites. A single site, such as Facebook or Twitter, can be blocked or filtered; even Google can be stopped by the government. But, an entire device cannot be shut down remotely yet. This empowers the user’s ability to network more powerfully than any other device. In conclusion, BlackBerry Messenger has given people a secret and fast way to communicate, and this can sometimes be at the expense of national security. Whether or not you agree with the revolutions in the Middle East that happened last spring (some are still happening), it is obvious that applications like BlackBerry Messenger were fundamental in the organization and implementation of these revolutions. This can be perceived as good or bad depending on one’s perception, but it is undeniably a source of social change worldwide. Even if BlackBerry Messenger stopped working, some new device would come along and replace it. In fact, any new device that comes along may have even a greater effect on social change than BlackBerry Messenger has. There is now a need for these types of applications, and as long as there is demand then there will be supply. Communication will forever continue to be a driving force behind advancements in language and technology. An invention like BlackBerry Messenger is just one of the many tools that are being manipulated to spread knowledge and facilitate communication. It will be interesting to see how the face of our culture is further changed by this device, either for the better or for the worse. What cannot be denied is that BlackBerry Messenger is a great tool for social change and is shows how human communication has changed dramatically in the last few years. Works Cited Anderson, L. (2011). “Demystifying the Arab Spring.” Foreign Affairs. May/June 2011. Retrieved from: http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/67693/lisa- anderson/demystifying-the-arab-spring "BBM." (2012) Research In Motion Limited. Web. 29 April 2012. Retrieved from: http://us.blackberry.com/bbm/?lid=us:bb:BBM Dannenfeldt, Diane. (2012) "How BlackBerry Messenger Works." How Stuff Works. Web. 29 April 2012. Retrieved from: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/e-mail- messaging/blackberry-messenger.htm “Joe.” (2008, April 15). “The History of the BlackBerry.” BBGeeks. Web. 29 April 2012. Retrieved from: http://www.bbgeeks.com/blackberry-guides/the-history-of- the-blackberry-88296 Mezensky, C. (2012). “What Inventions or Discoveries Were Being Made 1818-1882?” Ehow.com Retrieved from: http://www.ehow.com/info_8185368_inventions- were-being-made-18181882.html .How Stuff Works. Web. 29 April Sutter, John D. (2011, October 12) "BlackBerry outage blamed on extremely critical network failure." CNN. 2011. Web. 29 April 2012. Retrieved from: http://articles.cnn.com/2011-10-12/tech/tech_mobile_blackberry- outage_1_blackberry-outage-blackberry-subscribers-blackberry- users?_s=PM:TECH Taylor, Chris. (2011, August 9) "London Riots: BlackBerry Messenger Used More than Facebook or Twitter."Mashable. Web. 29 April 2012. Retrieved from: Read More