"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." [via Smart Mobs]
