New column: Fif-TECH-teen
We here at Tattletech are all about what “the kids” are into, with their dubstep and ironic glasses and whatnot, so we decided to bring another perspective on board, a fresh perspective from the next generation of tech users – teens. So we found a teen willing to write for us! In his first post, our newest contributing writer, Sean Edwards, (with an assist from his father) will tell us what technology he uses to stay connected and how this affects his relationships.
You can read Fif-TECH-teen weekly right here on Tattletech. You can also follow Sean on Twitter @sean_edwards1.
Hey!
My name is Sean Edwards, but you guys will soon know me as Fif-TECH-teen. I’m 15 and I live in a very rural community (and by rural I mean a village of 600 or so) in Brittany, France. In my column, I’m going to address the subject of technology from a teen’s point of view, with possible comments from my dad, who claims to be “just a builder” but might be a closet tech writer. My first subject is BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). Yes, I am a teen and I don’t have an iPhone.
Most of you know that BBM is an instant messenger application that’s on all BlackBerry phones. It lets other BB users chat with each other for free, a feature my dad really likes because I have a lot of friends back in the UK and the plan only covers 66 text messages a month, which clearly won’t cut it.
TATTLETECH NOTE: Mashable reported in 2010 that teens send an average of 3,339 texts per month, with teen females sending a whopping 4,050 a month and teen males 2,539 texts.
Because I live in such an isolated place and my friends live so far away (my closest friend lives about five miles away) I use BBM a lot to organize meet ups like going to the cinema or the skate park or even arranging a meal at a restaurant, which I do quite often with my friends from school. I rely on this piece of technology because it lets me keep in touch with all my family and friends near and far, from here to Birmingham, England.
The reason I use this app constantly is because it is so instant, therefore I find it is the next best thing to having a real face-to-face conversation. It is a very effective social tool. It doesn’t have to end since it is an unlimited service, and is tailored to the BlackBerry. BBM was created strictly for the use of BlackBerrys, which makes it more effective than Windows Live Messenger, for example, which was created for PC’s and then transferred to mobile phones..
The only problem I’ve had with BBMing was recently, when BlackBerry had problems at their headquarters in Slough that caused BBM to stop working for around a whole week. I honestly thought my life had come to an end — no organising meals, no speaking to family and friends, nothing! BBM also received a lot of negative press with its connection to the organization of riots throughout England this past August. Regardless of all of this, I still feel that BBM is the best way for me to keep in contact with everybody that I need too.
BlackBerry messenger is a free download to your phone from BlackBerry app world.
