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Kesha Hammond M Marits Eng 112 Writing Project 1 11 February 2012 The Detriments of the iPod

Ever since the early twenty-first century, portable MP3 players have been a must-have accessory. Music has become a part of culture and way of life. The iPod, in particular, gives a person the ability to take their music with them, rather than being confined to one area, and control their own listening environment. Music allows people to enter their own world, but is there such thing as being too adapted to that world? The way in which iPods are used and how they are included in daily lives can have a negative effect on society. Not only are iPods detrimental to social life and todays culture, but it also has an effect on the well-being of the community. It is fairly simple to spot out those who are listening to portable music in society today. The long, white, or colored, string which hangs low in front of a person lets others know that they are being occupied by their music. However, those headphones also convey the message that he or she does not want to be bothered. Andrew Sullivan notes that these devices give us, the chance to slip away from everydayness, to give our lives its own soundtrack (Sullivan

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2005). However, isolating ones self by shoving ear buds into their ears also puts society away from contact with each other and gives the impression that they are anti-social. When listening to an iPod, some people consider there to be appropriate and not so appropriate times to have headphones in ones ear and appear to be blocking out society. Not only does portable music give one the ability to control what they listen to, but it also controls how one acts toward themselves and others. In result, there has become a growing concern that iPods hinder interaction with society. Sullivan states in his article that music was once, a shared experience, something that brought people together (Sullivan 2005), but is now a secret. These iPods cause people to SHUT OUT those that are around them, as their main focus is on their music. Everyone has begun to throw away their outdated MP3 players and Walkmans and assimilated into the iWorld. The changing culture has made it cool to own an iPod rather than any other music device. The world is steadily changing and the concept of togetherness has disappeared. People have become disoriented in todays society and it is almost as if they are lost without technology. Long gone are the days when families sat together at the dinner table during meals and conversed about their days. Now, each person would rather enjoy their own meal in their own solitude with headphones in their ears; much like around public in society. Road trips and vacations, or a visit to the mall and local stores are accompanied by an iPod to listen to music during every moment. Kirkwood states that, iPod addiction, and it is an addiction, demands that every experience have a soundtrack to make it complete, or just plain bearable (Kirkwood 2009). Because of the iPod, the culture of music is increasingly changing and instead of using it for entertainment, it is now being used to allow one to avoid being alone with nature or their own thoughts.

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Not only has the iPod changed our physical culture, but it also changes the way in which we listen to music. iPods today are not solely made for music, but also acts as if it has a mind of its own. Humans have become increasingly dependent on the device and, with a simple visit to the App Store; one can download a variety of self-assisting applications. There are even applications that speak to the user as if it is human itself. Why should we interact with society when we have our own world at the palm of our hands? MP3 players have existed before iPods; however, there has not been an MP3 player that is as stylish as the iPod. Apple products have changed the music culture and the way in which people listen to music by making the music device and advertisements appealing to consumers. People feel as though if they buy an iPod versus any other device, it will make them hip and current with popular culture. The colorful billboards and commercials of Apple products gave the message that everyone is using it and brainwashes consumers into thinking that having Apple products will make them stylish. These advertisements appeal more to the younger generation, which are the ones who are less likely to have self-control over the way in which they use the iPod and how much they use it. The iPod can also be a distraction and affect the safety of others. Depending on how often one uses their iPod; it can affect concentration, health, and also the safety of society. Today, people are so familiar with new technology and get accustomed to a point in which they are unaware of equally dangerous these devices can be. Although music can encourage the learning process by relaxing and calming students and allowing them to concentrate, it can also evolve into a distraction from learning. CNN writer Elizabeth Landau believes that, Music may impair cognitive abilities because if youre trying to

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memorize things in order, you may get thrown off by the changing words and notes in your chosen song (Landau 2010). When a student has headphones in their ears, they convey the message that the only thing of importance to them at that moment is the music that is playing on their iPod. While giving the impression that they are listening and giving eye contact, in truth, they actually are not. Clothing items have also been made with sweaters that have hollow pull strings to conceal headphones through them so students can seem as though they are paying attention when truly, they are not. Students who listen to their iPods in class also receive high levels of energy from the music which can divert their attention from focusing and participating in class and onto their iPod. This focus and attention that is mostly on the music that is being played leads the student to be more worried about changing to the perfect song rather than the material that is being taught. This disturbance can cause students to miss important information or instructions. When people are listening to their iPod in a public place, potential dangers may also arise. In public, people are at a higher risk and should be fully aware of their own surroundings. Whether it be a driver in a car, a pedestrian, or a bicyclist, being able to have properly functioning senses without distractions in the way, such as headphones, is important when it comes to public safety. While one is busy multitasking on their iPod and unaware of what is going on around them, they can become so distracted and get into an accident. Without paying attention and being careless about actions that surround a person, not being able to hear a sound as quick as a car horn or a person shouting, Watch out! can result in a tragic accident. Not only does the world of iPods pose a public safety threat, but also a health safety threat. When people with iPods, particularly teenagers, have headphones in for long periods of time, it can cause them to have early symptoms of hearing loss. Since the invention of iPods,

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music duration and memory space have increased which allows users to listen to their music for longer periods of time without any disruptions. Because of these upgrades, health concerns and the possibility of hearing loss arise. The Journal of The American Academy of Audiology states that, the iPods extended memory capability allows users to listenfor indefinite amounts of time and the stock ear buds that accompany most models do not block out ambient noise, which necessitates an increase in the volume.(Lindsey 2009). This increase in volume causes the ears cilia, nerve-bearing cells, to die. Cilia are not restored so, over time as a persons cilia count decreases, and their ability to hear decreases, as well. The inventions of the iPod, and other music devices, have gradually caused a growing concern in society and the way in which these devices are used. While they appear to be harmless and have no direct negative affect, iPods are shown to have many hindrances, if abused. Bugeja notes that, The blurring of identity occurs when technology places an individual in to or more places at oncepeople short-circuit when they lose a sense of place (Bugeja 2005). The use of iPods during leisure and alone time can allow one to relax and enjoy life; however, listening to too much music can also be detrimental to the well-being of an individual, and also to society as a whole. We begin to value the new technology that is being invented to ignore others which, in turn, rejects what we were created to do; which is to interact with others. Instead of worshipping technological devices and obsessing over them, one should learn to use them as an advantage rather than letting them consume and control his or her everyday life.

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Works Cited

Kirkwood, Elizabeth. "Little White Gods." New Statesman 138.4953 (2009): 20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.

Lindsey L. Koch, et al. "Survey Of College Students On Ipod Use And Hearing Health." Journal Of The American Academy Of Audiology 20.1 (2009): 5-27. Academic Search Complete. Web. 13 Feb. 2012.

Landau, Elizabeth. Music May Harm Your Studying. CNN Health. http://thechart.blogs.cnn.com/2010/07/27/music-may-harm-your-studying-study-says/. (2010) 13Feb. 2012

Sullivan, Andrew. Society is Dead: We Have Retreated into the iWorld. Times Online. (2005).

Bugeja, M. (2005). Interpersonal divide: The search for community in a technological age. New York: Oxford University Press.