- The "Blackberry Prayer." This is the position that users strike when answering or sending text messages. The head is bowed, the hands are together, holding the tiny com device in their hands, moving only their thumbs. It's a spiritual thing!
- The "Hive Mind." Ever notice how, when one person yawns in a meeting or at a conference, everyone starts yawning soon after? It's the same with the cell phone culture. One person pulls out his/her device and begins texting or reading or calling. Within moments everyone within eyesight has pulled out their phone and is doing the same thing. It's uncanny!
- The under-12 set has adopted text message language and vocabulary and alphabet as the norm. My wife, a librarian in the children's department, has noticed this in the written work kids hand in. "I luv u. TTYL." When they have to spell "LATER," the accepted norm is: "L8er."
A confession: I have never read, nor have I ever really agreed to, "terms of use" for downloads or updates on any of my computing/communication devices. I bypass all that and just click on the "Accept" button, or highlight the "Submit" button. I don't get the point or understand what terms of use are. For all I know, I'm agreeing to pay $100 for every letter I type in text messages for the rest of my life.
It's only a matter of time before an iPad is used for the Bible in court - "Do you agree to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God? If so, press ACCEPT on this iPad and take a seat."
Related (and I just noticed this recently): cellphones and personal communication devices are a culture unto themselves. And the effect on human life is significant and noticeable. Watch for the following: