Andrey Golub

Received via e-mail from J. Gerry Purdy, VP & Chief Analyst of Frost & Sullivan.

The Social Psychology of Wireless Messaging

Wireless email has become accepted in most white collar positions. Frost & Sullivan estimates that the wireless email market now exceeds 25 million users, and will likely grow rapidly to exceed 70 million users by 2010. And, when you include SMS text messaging, the number of wireless messaging users in the US is approaching 200 million. What I find interesting is the new ‘social psychology’ that wireless messaging has generated in our culture.

Just look at people who are ‘praying’ during meetings. They hold their heads down, looking at their wireless handset displays under the table and then jot off a quick response. This has become just one example of how wireless messaging has changed our behaviors, many of which are accepted, and some which have created a number of unacceptable behaviors. Because of the success of BlackBerry wireless email, many have referred to the social psychological behaviors of wireless messaging as the ‘BlackBerry Effect.’

The whole idea behind wireless messaging was to allow people to respond to or create important messages while they were away from the office or their notebook PC. It has certainly been positive to enable people to make an important business decision or, perhaps, communicate passionately to a loved one throughout the day. The reason wireless messaging (email and SMS) has become so successful and changed our behaviors is that everyone has small segments of idle time during the day when it’s easy to pull out your BlackBerry (or iPhone or other popular wireless handset) when you’re in an elevator or waiting on a train or walking or (unfortunately) driving, or any one of a number of times in a day when you have anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes that are not being used. You simply whip out your BlackBerry and check your messages and fire off a quick reply.

There’s a feeling of empowerment in the entire process, and it’s easy to see why this has become addictive. You get an immediate rush of positive feeling about being able to do something productive in a very short period of time. The popular phrase ‘CrackBerry’ has been used to describe the addictive process that wireless email and messaging has become in our society. And, it’s not just happening with senior executives. It’s now just as prevalent with teenagers with the difference that their wireless messaging is predominantly SMS rather than email.

Most text messaging today is between two people, but that may soon change. My son, Jason, works for 3jam, a company that enables SMS to expand from one-to-one so that you can send messages to many and reply to all – more like what you can already do with email.

As with all new technologies, our behaviors have to be adjusted to properly integrate them into our culture in a positive way while reducing or eliminating the negative. Quickly checking for messages while you’re on a first date may result in your having a series of first dates that never go further.

Another concern is that when someone has a wireless messaging device, there’s a perception by others that the person is ‘always available.’ When you send an email or text message to someone else, you somehow feel that the other person will reply quickly because you know that they are always checking their messages and will likely issue a quick reply. We have to realize and be comfortable with knowing that while it’s great that you were able to send a quick message when you had some time, the other person may not be available for a while (horror the thought!).

We’ve also developed an acceptance of misspelled words and abbreviations when someone replies using a wireless handset. Text messaging causes more of this than email but both result in the wireless handset user to use acronyms such as LOL (‘laughing out loud’) or even ‘K’ (for ‘OK’).

We have to realize that just because we can use wireless handsets throughout the day and evening, we need to learn to use them in a sensible manner. I have stopped checking wireless messages (as well as trying to reply) while driving, and wait until I stop at a red light or park the car. And I take my BlackBerry off my belt at dinnertime and attach it to my notebook PC to sync up and recharge.

Certainly wireless messaging will forever change the nature of work. It will make our lives more productive and allow companies to operate more efficiently in near real-time. And it will allow loved ones to communicate with each other during the day. But, there’s an entirely new world of behaviors that have to be considered as a result of this – both positive and negative.

I recommend everyone should ask themselves a simple question: “Is this an appropriate time to be checking my wireless messages?” You’ll find that there’s plenty of sensible times to answer ‘Yes’ and a number of times where you’ll decide are really inappropriate. You’ll make some behavior adjustments that will make your life – and the life with your family and friends – more balanced and enjoyable.

P.S. Here’s a link to a humorous video that shows BlackBerry addiction.

In My Humble Opinion (IMHO): Non-Mobile Editorial Vignettes

How come airlines use the PA system to ask for a passenger to notify whether they are on the plane by hitting the flight attendant ‘call button’? Or, how come they count the passengers who are on the flight? Shouldn’t the airline passenger check-in system know how many boarded and where they are sitting?

And, why do flight attendants ask you to turn off your portable electronic products when they have no way of knowing whether you’ve done it or not? These things are so wrong and worthless. I certainly believe in airline security – so much so that I believe the airlines and the FAA should first determine if there’s a real threat to airline safety if portable electronic products are on. And, if there’s a real threat, they should implement systems to ensure that they are all off. Otherwise, it’s a joke and a waste of time.

Written by:

J. Gerry Purdy, Ph.D.
VP & Chief Analyst
Mobile & Wireless
Frost & Sullivan

Keywords: Gerry Purdy, Inside Mobile and Wireless, Mobile & Wireless, Wireless Messaging, mobile 2.0, Frost & Sullivan