ROTHENBURGER — Why I’m turning off my phone

COLUMN — It was around the fourth time my new Blackberry Classic rang — in the middle of a board meeting of 30 people — that I got the picture on a couple of fronts.

First, you’d think a so-called business phone would include a simple thing like a button to switch to vibrate. After all, business — whether corporate or the business of government — entails a lot of going in and out of meetings. An easy switch to vibrate or mute is essential.

Despite hours of searching the Internet, I have yet to find a way to get the damn thing to switch to vibrate, certainly not one that doesn’t involve going into Settings, Notifications, etc. etc. The mute button works fine, but only after it starts ringing.

There are several other reasons I’m becoming convinced I made a mistake with the Blackberry Classic. When I first got it, somebody asked me to write a review, which I will do if I stop fuming long enough. (The one redeeming feature is the excellent physical keyboard, which is what convinced me to acquire the thing.)

Admittedly, I am an unsophisticated user of technology, including phones. I don’t think, however, that you should need a degree in technology and computer science to use a phone.

The other thing I was reminded of — as if anyone needs to be reminded of this — was the enslavement of the general population by smartphones. This isn’t totally a bad thing. When I retired, I shut down my data plan and survived quite nicely, but after getting back into local politics I figured I needed one again and I was right. The ability of a smart phone to handle email, browsers, scheduling and apps makes work much more effective than it would otherwise be. It does, however, create dependency.

And, it certainly has its moments, like my incessantly ringing phone in the middle of a TNRD board meeting yesterday. I didn’t want to shut it off because I was expecting a phone call I really wanted to take — and, by the way, it was a call relating to TNRD business. I just wanted the damn thing to quietly vibrate when the call came so I could discreetly step out of the meeting and talk. Instead, I got ringing, and embarrassment.

I don’t defend taking phone calls in the middle of conversations or events. People are so addicted to them they make phone calls during movies, walking down the sidewalk, in coffee shops. Sometimes coffee with a friend consists of two people sitting at a table and texting, emailing or calling somebody else. (OK, so I took a selfie recently to check out the camera on the BB Classic, which isn’t very good, by the way.)

Much has been written about whether this technology is actually spawning a generation of phone addicts who no longer socialize. On the other hand, the use of smartphones supposedly increases our digital dexterity. Seriously, we’re creating people who can type with two thumbs but can’t order coffee or pay for parking without a phone.

Next time you’re in a meeting of a committee or a board or a public presentation, make note of how many people are staring down at their laps instead of at the speaker. Those are the ones checking out messages on their phones, and I’ll bet it’s about half the room.

So, I’m making a radical decision — I’m turning off the phone in meetings. I know, but I’m serious. I promised the board chair there would be no repeats of today’s behaviour, and even if I figure out the vibrate/mute thing, the best guarantee is the power-off button. If I can find it.

Mel Rothenburger can be contacted at armchairmayor@gmail.com when his phone is on.