BlackBerry users were the first people to confront the social etiquette implications of conversations and person-to-person interactions being interrupted by digital notifications. And they were the first to wrestle with the uniquely obsessive mindset that an always-on information device can engender. This pull of the “now” only got worse as BlackBerrys eventually gained web-browsing functionality and new applications such as the BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging service. The devices earned the sobriquet “CrackBerry” because users seemingly couldn’t tear themselves away.
