It is no news that any technological device that finds its way into Nigeria is usually accepted to the extreme. The advent of Global Service of Mobile communication (GSM) attracted users in no small number, to the extent that it was regarded as “General Street Madness” in some parts of the country.
Also, social network like Facebook, Twitter, 2go etc came along; trust Nigerians, they joined the trend as if Nigeria invented those social websites.
But the problem is that Nigerian users lack appropriate decorum for utilising any technology that comes into the country. Talking of the latest craze in town - Blackberry – youths and adults have joined the mad rush to acquire the device.
Blackberry is a device that has inbuilt social network applications that link people from different geographical areas in a jiffy. You can use it to access the Internet at any point in time. These services are not free. Users subscribe for Blackberry Internet Service (BIS) to make use of the device.
Its functions as a personal digital assistant (PDA)and portable media player. It is primarily known for its ability to send and receive instant messages via Wi-Fi connectivity. It is the latest swag in town now, especially among girls in universities.
Everybody wants to own a BB phone. In universities and other institutions, if a girl doesn’t belong to the “Blackberry clique,” she is no way a big babe. In the classroom, market, hospital etc, you either ping or get pinged. It has got to the extent that many girls become desperate and are ready to go to any length to attain to the Blackberry clique. To such people, using a Blackberry is a do-or-die affair, to the extent that friends abandon friends who don’t have Blackberry!
Because of the desperate rush, the phone has become pure water because many people now own . A day can’t goby without you hearing someone asking for your Blackberry pin. Even in classrooms, the attention of Blackberry users is the usually diverted from lectures because of BB chats.
Last Monday, I was in the class receiving a lecture when suddenly we heard a sarcastic laughter from the back. It was two friends sitting beside each other pinging themselves about the faded attire worn by their lecturer. The laughter caught the attention of the class and it almost got them in trouble.
The same thing happened in my hostel two weeks ago as two friends argued over the device.
In a nutshell, the coming of this device has exposed the other side of Nigerians and perhaps, humanity. It now looks as if GSM has just came to Nigeria.
The cost of BIS subscription would not even deter the youths from using the device that is gradually derailing them from achieving their dreams. Instead of wasting time and money on mundane activities such as BB chats and pinging, why not focus on research and invention of new things that will be useful in our nation?
Our youths are always on the lookout for exotic things; only God knows the next invention that would manipulate the cognitive behaviour of the Nigerian youths and derail them from attaining their educational aspirations.
Written by: Wilfred Okwudili, ccfr. Current MTN Foundation Scholarship Award holder, Author of Admission 101 and first students consultant, Nigeria.
