Is the DSLR everybody's new hobby?

It seems that nowadays, sick of the too rapidly-evolving cellphone (and other gadgets) chain, people are switching to DSLRs. Everytime I go out now I see John and Jane Does (even kids) toting around DSLRs like they were 8210s back in 1999.

Is it that people got too bored with the seemingly monthly release of a new cellphone? Or maybe its because of the overwhelming number of cellular phones coming out hoping to be the next iPhone killer. Whatever it is, people have moved on from texting to photography (or T-shirt printing, LOL).

In order to analyze what caused the boom, let's get into the mindset of the average consumer (who prefer to be called prosumers, like I do.). The average technology consumer in 1999 probably owned one cellphone, a PC, and a digital camera. ISOs, shutter speeds and f stops were completely "out of the picture" then. At that time pro cameras were reserved for ACTUAL photographers and editing in Photoshop was reserved for the magazines. Until friendster, the average digital camera only served as your vacation buddy.

These days, the average consumer has at least 2 cellphones (globe and sun), a laptop or UMPC, an iPod or another mp3 player, a dock for that mp3 player, an LCD TV for a monitor, a screaming PC, and a DSLR.

Personally, I first encountered the SLR in 2003 when my brother was supposed to take a photography course but did not want to go, so I took it. Ever since then, I've been a big fan of the art.

Then Friendster and Flickr and Photobucket came along and people wanted nice pictures to post. I'm not entirely sure if this was the trend.

Suddenly, everyone wanted to dump their digicams for the next frontier: DSLRs.

Now people who have absolutely no knowledge about SLR photography are wasting at least $400 for a gadget they think is a better digicam. Some people have shown me shots from their DSLRs and it looked like they were taken off of a Canon Powershot. Not to bash people who I admit have more money to waste than me, but I think that taking at least a small course on photography would help you utilize your new gadget. It's like owning a Blackberry and simply using it for text and calls. Completely pretentious.

So here's a site I found with a crash course on using your new prized possession:
Photography On the Net: A Beginner's Guide to DSLR Photography

It THAT made your head hurt, it's about time you got a new hobby.