Ladies and their BB affair
The online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines the BlackBerry thus: “BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1999.” Wikipedia further states that, “BlackBerry functions as a personal digital assistant with address book, calendar, memopad and task list capabilities. It also functions as […]
The online free encyclopedia, Wikipedia, defines the BlackBerry thus: “BlackBerry is a line of mobile e-mail and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion (RIM) since 1999.”
Wikipedia further states that, “BlackBerry functions as a personal digital assistant with address book, calendar, memopad and task list capabilities. It also functions as a portable media player with support for music and video playback and camera and video capabilities. BlackBerry is primarily known for its ability to send and receive (push) e-mails wherever mobile network service coverage is present, or through Wi-Fi connectivity. BlackBerry has the ability to use wireless data efficiently while using less power than other phones; three BlackBerrys use the same wireless spectrum as only one other smartphone.
According to the encyclopedia, “BlackBerry is a powerful messaging phone with a large array of messaging features in a smartphone today, including auto-text, auto-correct, text prediction, support for many languages, keyboard shortcuts, text emoticons, push email, push Facebook, Twitter and Myspace notifications, push Ebay notifications, push instant messaging with BlackBerry Messenger, Google Talk, ICQ, Windows Live Messenger, AOL Instant Messanger and Yahoo Messenger; threaded text messaging and a customizable indicator light near the top right of all BlackBerry devices. All notifications and conversations from applications are shown in a unified messaging application which third party applications can access.”
But of all these numerous functions and assets associated with the Smartphone, it seems most women are interested only in the push instant messaging with BlackBerry Messenger. Mrs. Roseline Abu confirmed this. “Majority of us, aside making and receiving calls or sending and receiving text messages and occasional browsing, mainly use our BlackBerries to send instant messages to friends and family who’s PINs we have and who have ours.”
This act which has been termed ‘BB’ according to Abu “is free and as efficient as SMS which cost N5 or N15 depending on the network.”
On how much of a sure and dependable partner it has become, she said, “The Ignis washing machine advert that says, ‘Your wife is having an affair’, would have been more appropriate with the BlackBerry; BBing in particular. Because, really that is what it feels like. You send it and it goes and brings you a feedback. You can control it as you will and it doesn’t complain of being bossed about. It gives you a sense of authority and ownership that no man can completely give you or let you have.”
On how the men react to this affair, Melinda Ajayi said, “My husband gets very angry and most times tries to look over my shoulder to know what I am doing. I sell shoes online. So when he asks I tell him that’s what I am doing. But he is inquisitive and picks my phone to confirm but it’s passworded so he can’t go too far. It’s a very efficient gossip and chit-chat vehicle and won’t spill along the way.”
“As for the other functions, I browse sometimes and make calls or send texts. But BBing remains the main attraction,” Ajayi laughed.
A good number of men today ‘feel threatened’ by what they described as a growing and intense love affair of their wives or partners with their BlackBerries as Emeka Anosike and his friend Yaro Usman exclaim.
Anosike said, “This BlackBerry ‘affair’ started as a harmless communication means between my fiancée and I and she with her friends and relatives until she realised how much more useful it was and cost free with the PIN. Upon this discovery, I became ‘relegated’ to the background. Sometimes when we are in the middle of a serious conversation, the next thing I hear is a hearty laughter though I have not said anything to provoke such. The first time I saw this display I was startled and thinking something was wrong with her only to see her neck deep typing a message. I was so infuriated; it was only then she focused on our discussion. But the moment we were done she dashed into the kitchen to continue from where she left on her BB. I almost regret buying it for her because it seems to have taken priority over me in her life.”
For Usman, “My wife told me pointblank to learn to live with as this fact there is no woman on earth with a BlackBerry who will do better than her as regards BBing. It’s taken over midnight calls for her which were initially a problem. So I am trying not to complain since we now sleep in peace without the midnight shuffles and whispers in an attempt to be quiet.
Even the term BB has become a conjugatable verb. It has brought expressions like, “Please BB me; I am BBing the number; Have you BBied her; She BBies me, and other such sentences. Soon if it has not yet become a generic word applicable to Standard English and on the pages of dictionaries, one can be sure that in no time, with the current trend and use of the BlackBerry in Nigeria, it will attain such heights.
The men say they are on a quiet revolt and will do all they can to stop their ‘cheating’ partners from the love of what they now refer to as the women’s Best Boys (BB).