35% of Professionals Would Choose BlackBerry Over Spouse; Take Our Poll
Professionals have a love-hate relationship with their BlackBerrys, and in some cases it’s interfering with their marriages.
Thirty-five percent of 6,500 professionals surveyed said they would pick their personal digital assistants over their spouses, if they had to choose, and 87 percent said they take their PDAs into their bedrooms, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.
Eighty-four percent of the respondents check their BlackBerrys before they go to bed and when they wake up, while 85 percent check them in the middle of the night, according to the survey by Sheraton Hotels & Resorts.
Eight-five percent said modern technology makes them feel compelled to be connected to work 24/7. On the other hand, 84 percent said PDAs give them more quality time and flexibility with family and friends.
Like many professionals, lawyers use BlackBerrys and smartphones as “an electronic umbilical cord” connecting them to their offices and clients, the ABA Journal reports. The ABA’s 2008 Legal Technology Survey found that 72 percent of lawyers under 40 use smartphones or BlackBerrys and 50 percent of lawyers over 60 use them.
Seventy-six percent of law firms provide smartphones or BlackBerrys for their lawyers, while 97 percent of large law firms provide them.
Loyola psychology professor Domeena Renshaw told the Sun-Times that professionals should put their BlackBerrys away for the weekend to see how it affects their relationships. “If they can’t manage without it, and they get a withdrawal similar to drugs, they should seek counseling,” she said.
