Monday, March 8, 2004

How earphones are changing the way people behave The BBC has an interesting article on Dr Michael Bull, one of the few academics, possibly the only one, to spend time researching what people do with music players, why they listen to them and what difference they make to their lives. "There's the visual domination of explaining urban experience," he says, "but if you look at it through sound you get different explanations." We live in a visually dominated culture and suffer constant bombardment by visible messages. Adverts, shop fascias, street signs, the clothes of fellow pedestrians, newspaper headlines, magazine front covers, car designs create a visual cacophony. Through interviews with Walkman owners and now iPod buyers, he found that listening to music acts as a shield, aura or cocoon. Using headphones helps to keep the world at bay and reclaim some space. [Smart Mobs] This is why I listen to my iPod at the gym. 10:03:40 AM    trackback []