Comments

Twenty years ago the wires were black, and they were attached to Sony Walkmans. I remember hearing the same thing back then, that people were enveloped in their own little worlds.

The technology may change, but the song remains the same.

Posted by Larry Borsato at February 25, 2005 12:04 AM

Think about it...

Can a product/technology change society? Atari? Intellivision? Gameboy? = Kids who see too little sunshine!

I think "we" have always been this way Tom. I'm sure there was something else that affected "us" similarly before video games... TV comes to mind.

Posted by Gerald Buckley at February 25, 2005 12:07 AM

I couldn't agree more with you on this Halley. I feel sad though. I am of the firm belief that nothing can replace a handshake. No cell phone, no video conferencing - nothing. With these new gadgets (and the email, of course), the human-to-human connection is weakening. Sad, very sad!!

Posted by Rajesh Setty at February 25, 2005 12:24 AM

The human connection weakening? Surely not! Tech ubiquity has "cheapened" alot of our contact - what was a time consuming task can now be achieved with a click of a button (email )leading to a desire for increased quality of the contact (witness the rise of blogs for example)sending people a hand written "thank you note" is a one way ticket for the reciever to remember you for your politeness, probably forever.

Absoultely right: Nothing can replace the hand shake - it reminds me of a British Airways Advert some time again when a consultant team used all the whizz bang technology to "walk" the prospective client through thier pitch - followed by the team that went to visit the client in person. Guess who got the deal?

Posted by James Nash at February 25, 2005 1:25 AM

What else are you going to do? Talk to the person next to you:)

While I enjoy talking to people, it is hard talking to some random person of the street or ski slope.

Enjoying a good audiobook or just some relaxing music is a better use of my time then just listening to the noise of the street.

Human contact is still important but there is a lot of it and we need to get away from all of that sometimes.

Posted by Stephan Fassmann at February 25, 2005 1:37 AM

No, a product does not change society, it is a sensory stimuli to emotional dissonance. Sullivan is pointing out that Americans [I assume he is British ?] are collapsing their lives to avoid hearing "No" anywhere in their daily world, "they" are too fearful, angry, hurt, etc. to deal with their individual worlds and are using [in this case] their iPOD to neurally bridge them to a place of comfort, of emotional pleasure. I have an opinion too...do I get paid?

Posted by Wendy at February 25, 2005 1:41 AM

A big assumption here is that people are only using audio players for music - and that connection with the people physically near to you is the only connection that's worthwile. What's changing is that with podcasting I can now have an audio connection with people all over the world, as well as those who I physically meet. This connection may be asynchronous and fleeting, it may or may not lead to other communication with the podcaster to whom I listen or someone on the other side of the world who listens to me, but it's a connection none the less and just as real (but arguably richer) as the connection I have with people to whom I apologise when I tread on their toes in the London Underground.

PS Wendy, yes Sullivan is British, but he emigrated in the 1980's, which lets us both distance ourselves from him ;-)

Posted by Lloyd at February 25, 2005 3:52 AM

Of course iPods change human behavior. Isn't that what marketing is all about? If we didn't change our ways, we'd never see any new products.

Aaaaanyway, this just reminded me of an idea my and a buddy had a few years back: we'd throw a party and hand out individual walkmans to everybody at the door.

That way, they could listen to (and dance to) the music of their choice AND if they wanted to talk to somebody, they wouldn't have to yell over the music. :)

Posted by Risto at February 25, 2005 3:56 AM

I agree with some of the other posters. The iPod trend is a continuation fot he same trend with a different piece of technology.

That trend is to feed off stimuli at every possible moment, no mental down time or uninterrupted unstructured (or perhaps structured, too) thought time.

To me, the cell phone is more irritating, not just because when people do it behind the wheel they're significantly more dangerous. When they do it walking down the street (a guy walking his dog; a couple with their toddler in a pram, each parent conducting a separate phone conversation). And they're making me share in their conversation, another form of sidestream pollution.

The cell phone is a little more interactive, but with incredibly awful transmission quality. The iPod goes one-way, so you lose the interactive nature of it, but at least you get pretty good sound quality and if the book is a useful one, some good knowledge quality, too.

In the end though, I think it's part of an increasing isolation -- which can be healthy in some cases, such as cited by Stephen above, or unhealthy in a weakening of light social connections that bind us.

Posted by jeff angus at February 25, 2005 4:07 AM

My Grandfather, Fernand Schlegel (http://www.fernand-schlegel.com/), a french artist and sculptor remarked on this very thing in the 80's with the Walkman.

Plus ca change!.....

Posted by Tom Kay at February 25, 2005 4:13 AM

I couldn't agree more with the author. I really appreciate the time to think and be aware of my surroundings when walking down the street. One of my favorite things about New York is the sound of the place. Someone mentioned iPods on lift chairs which I find appalling. The silence of the mountains, the whoosh of powdered snow and getting to know the person next to me in the lift chair is a huge part of what makes skiing great; an iPod in my ears would take that away from me. Talking to fellow travellers is one of the few fun aspects of business travel. That's certainly not possible if your neighbor has plugged their ears.

Perhaps the more important question is why people are walling themselves off. Why do they (we) spend so much time watching TV, reading media, walking around in our own media bubble? These are all signs of increased wealth and choice, personal expression, etc, etc, but as a society we don't seem any more happy for it. I perceive a greatly increased sense of anxiety, uncertainty and loneliness in those around me. I don't think this is a result of listening to iPods of Walkmen, but rather one of the causes of this antisocial behavior. In a world where so much seems outside of our control, where change is the only constant, the iPod puts the user in the driver's seat and allows them to cut themselves off from the unpredictable and the uncertain.

However, just bemoaning this state of affairs will do nothing to change it. The only way we can do that is through our own actions. So next time you head out the door, leave the iPod, turn off your blackberry, cut off your cell phone and consider talking to the person sitting next to you on the plane. A walk, bike ride or ski run is infinitely more envigorating when you leave yourself exposed to the sonic elements. Who knows, you might even make a friend, learn something new, or acquire a heretofor feeling of peace with the world outside. You can't go for a swim without getting wet.

Posted by sdet at February 25, 2005 4:53 AM

Hey what's the big deal? The cell phone, walkman, i-pod, email is all a reflection of our times, which is more individualistic. This is a natural progression of any society which moves from tribalism (one leader/speaker, many followers/listeners) to individualism. Our entire structure is moving from tribalism (with associated ideas of nationalism,lineage, ethnicity, race,language,etc) to individualism (the idea that everybody is unique and also the idea that the individual person is more important than the clan).

Posted by Mandar at February 25, 2005 5:07 AM

Mandar,
It's NOT that big a deal and the iPod is indeed a sign of the times. I don't think the iPod is about to cause the downfall of Western civilization or take us back to tribalism or nationalism. Indeed, the improved access to creative content (music), the ability to customize it, move it around and take it with you is a great thing and I'm been quite happy to ditch my CDs and move to iTunes.

The issue the author of the piece in question was raising was whether being constantly surrounded my your personal media bubble didn't have the unintended effect of cutting one of from their surroundings and happenstance communication with other people. Indeed,it does have this inintended effect.

Most things in this world are two sided coins; the iPod gives us control over music, allows us to customize play lists, share music, etc, but has the power to cut us off from others. Likewise, despite the fact that we live in a society (in the US) that more or less functions on the basis of individualism is still dependent on our ability to listen to each other and that's hard to do when you have buds in your ears! The micro-segmentation of the media means that we spend most of our time with "opinion buds" in our ears.

I mearly meant to suggest that that an occasional break from the personal media bubble can be a good and liberating thing. We are tribal creatures in any case as the mass formation to the iPod tribe (and thousands of sub-tribes) will attest.

Posted by sdet at February 25, 2005 5:44 AM

Interesting discussion and so thank you all. We've set up a new heading on the blog here "OUR READERS WRITE" to feature some of our favorite comments and I think ALL of these should be given a "shout-out" this week.

I keep coming around to a notion of "intimate media" when I think about this question of technology and connection. Sharing iPod playlists, blogging, IM'ing, sending pix via your phone, all of these new features of social media are creating a new level of intimacy, as several commenters above astutely point out, it's not that were not connecting and socializing, but perhaps we're doing it in different ways.

The notion of privacy is being defined too narrowly to my mind. My blogging can be about private matters and have a more intimate feel for my readers (who often instantly respond to my public writing in private email or IM) than anything traditional mainstream media ("MSM") can offer up.

Technologies can give you a privacy sphere around you physically as you walk through the Christo Gates in New York's Central Park, but you might be coincidentally sharing the experience in a very intimate way with someone in Tokyo via phone, moblogging, or some other mode of social media.

How we define socializing and privacy and friendship and love and family has gotten amazingly complex.

And speaking of iPod's -- I'm sure you guys read this great post of Tom's too, right? See link below:

http://www.tompeters.com/entries.php?note=007491.php

Posted by Halley at February 25, 2005 6:48 AM

Every generation believes that it is witnessing a new "collapse" of society. It's a recognised and natural part of growing up (and old). I remember a wonderful article complaining about the youth of today hanging around street corners, being drunk and obnoxious. You really identified with the article until, at the end, you found out it was several hundred years old

Another great quote is the Roman satirist Juvenal complaining that a charioteer earns more in one race than a professional and skilled lawyer earns from his work (shades of the NHL here?!)

I can remember studies of children who played video games a lot that found that they were actually MORE sociable - the games were a common thing to talk about which actually crossed age groups at school and was healthy catalyst for interaction.

The posters here are right - nothing beats human contact but I suspect the time people want to spend on their own (Ipods) and the time they want to be with others will not have broadly changed. I don't see pubs and restaurants full of people wearing ipods!

Some things change but human beings, in many senses, remain the same.

Posted by PaulH at February 25, 2005 8:34 AM

PEOPLE JUST NEED TO TUNE OUT OTHER PEOPLE = especially in large metro areas - the multiple stimulus is too much and must be mitigated - ala iPodesque behavior.

Joyce Brothers states that focus on ALL THINGS CELEBRITY IS NORMAL too - it means the leisure class has time for the frivilous and fun endeavors - a healthy situation.

Posted by John at February 25, 2005 8:45 AM

It's just easier to avoid
people when you have an iPod.

I have something similar on
my computer called a spam blocker.
.

Posted by jd at February 25, 2005 10:46 AM

How is a person listening to an Ipod and staring into space different from a person without an Ipod staring into space not talking to anybody?

I take the train every morning and the 95% of people without Ipods are not open and inviting conversation with strangers.

I wonder if we would say the same thing about people that read books on airplanes. After all, they are retreating to "their own little world" Aren't they?

Posted by jason dolenga at February 25, 2005 11:04 AM

Great topic Halley ....

I am always intrigued how I can sit in a packed tube carraige in London Underground and travel for miles with not one person saying a word to another .. not even making eye contact!

It has been like that for at least thirty years in my experience.

I do not think this has anythin do do with iPod.

I sign up to 'twas ever thus.'

I am pretty sure cave man and woman also wanted their own space.

Posted by Trevor Gay at February 25, 2005 11:05 AM

I would love to know how many of the Central Park iPod People voted in the last election compared to the Wednesday night church group gatherers throughout the country. That's where the battle of individualism and tribalism may ultimately be fought--in our polarized political system.

Posted by Kirk Samuels at February 25, 2005 11:42 AM

A slightly different perspective-

when I was 16 my yellow Sony Sport walkman lived on my hip, even skiing. It was great- like skiing in a Warren Miller film.

Then I grew out of it. Still talk to people and make friends.

Now I have an iPod. And so does everyone else. The result? With 20 minutes of alone/me time for our commutes- everyone arrives in a better mood then if we just had to endure the horns of cabs and the squeal of the breaks on the C train.

iPod actually benefits society, from that perspective.

Posted by glen at February 25, 2005 12:09 PM

This is very similar to a less eloquent post I made on February 06 at:
http://www.situativity.org/archives/000110.html

I am not sure whether this trend represents personal freedom or an excuse to disengage from the world.

Posted by Rovy at February 25, 2005 12:39 PM

I guess I'm in the middle.

I do not, and refuse to, have a cell phone. It gives people an excuse to be rude, whether by using it in an intrusive way or calling people with cell phones at inconvenient times. If I need it, I guess I'll have to cave. I'm not as hard set against owning an iPod, but see no need for it.

I do notice that the new technology does tend to keep people in their own little world. If they have another self in that world, we call it schizophrenia. These days, we don't look twice at people talking to no one in particular in public; they could be on a cell phone or singing along with their iPod.

On the other hand, I've met many people through my home church community via online, used technology heavily when buying and refinancing the house, and have had many dates through internet websites (one such date is now Mrs. Ron). But like has been said, technology cannot replace, and should compliment, the person-to-person interaction (amen, Rajesh).

Posted by Ron at February 25, 2005 2:32 PM

Interesting comments about people sitting on the subway not talking to each other, whether they have iPods or not.

If someone started taking to you on the subway, would you immediately thing that they were strange. Perhaps it is more socially acceptable to keep to oneself so as to avoid potentially bothering or scaring others.

Personally, I actually start conversations in elevators. People are initially quiet, but will let themselves be drawn in. But in doing so I take a personal risk that others might not want to.

Posted by Larry Borsato at February 25, 2005 4:24 PM

I am an American living in Taiwan. We noticed the ipodders in San Fran after recently returning to the US after an extended time away. It was really strange!! It is like big brother gave everyone their standard listening device! The rapper with his pants at his knees(cool..I love that!) had one. The Grunge and Goth people had one. The office "stiff" had one. The housewife had one. The kids had one. They all had one! My wife and I were in shock....geeze...don't these people know Creative makes good MP3 players as well? And are much cheaper.
In Taiwan, it is different. People listen to music and are generally very into technology, but there are literally 'hundreds of devices' people use...half the fun is trying to see what little nifty gadget people are using (some come directly from Japan picked up on vacation). There are even some old farts listening to AM weather and news reports in some indigenous language(not Mandarin). Don't get me wrong, I love and own an ipod.....but...I also know the power of marketing. Apple is marketing a very good product...well. Hey....these same people all drink coke too!

I got it Tom! Coke should make a plastic bottle with a built-in MP3 player (recyclable) preloaded with new music (from one "known" artist and other up and coming nobodies)....buy a drink and listen to a "podcast", or music, or an infomercial....or a running show...."The Coke Players"...a running on-bottle drama/comedy series...team with napster or even itunes..I mean how does Coke maintain/keep moving foward..and generate new revenues? Think outside the bottle! Tie in with advertising and music (entertainment)......they have the medium sitting static in everyones' hands right now!!....make the bottles dynamic...instead of static.....hmm....now how to embed that mp3 player into the injection molded plastic bottle and make it cheap enough to mass produce?

Posted by JJS at February 26, 2005 1:42 AM

This claim is not well thought through. People will always be as engaged as they decided to be regardless of wither they have an iPod or not. Individual actions are a matter of will not ownership.

Posted by joe at February 26, 2005 1:42 AM

atleast the iPod people are better than cellphone people...yeah! those guys who are always talking to someone...so someone is talking.

Posted by kp at February 26, 2005 2:20 AM

Perhaps there's a correlation between the iPod nation and the explosive devleopment of blogging as a means of searching for and connecting with like minded people.

To paraphrase C.S Lewis, "I blog to know that I am not alone."

Posted by Paul McManus at February 26, 2005 8:36 AM

The social aspects of the iPod are amazing. There is podjacking where people randomly on the street plug into each others iPods for a little while to hear what they are listening to.

Then there are iPod parties where everyone brings their iPod and shuffles their entire music collection and then play the first ten songs and then it is the next persons turn.

I have even heard of a persons iPod being passed around a bar for everyone to enjoy, and yes, he got it back. People seem rather polite about iPods actually.

You can use your iPod as a mood setter and enhancer. Up-beat music to brighten your day. Romantic music for time with your spouse. Fun music for playtime. Relaxing music to help unwind at the end of the day.

Try watching a scary movie without sound, but with subtitles or closed captioning on and see just how important the music is.

You can use it as a portable university. turn commute time into learning time. I bought my iPod specifically for this purpose and it is worth it. Making better use of your time makes you smarter then your competition. This is an immensely powerful function that is a lot easier to use then tapes or CDs. I wrote a column for iPod Garage http://www.ipodgarage.com just on that.

I am not going to bother getting a PDA since my iPod has calendar, contact and notes features.

Then there is podcasting which is a new direction for talk radio. This has a lot of potential.

Posted by Stephan Fassmann at February 26, 2005 11:58 AM

Anyone remember that gadget...what was it called....ah, the Sony Walkman. Having survived that, with likely at least one each owned by the above (over age 30 of course) I suspect the days of the iPod will be filled with no less bliss and no more bad endings.

Best go after that Play Station or X-Box you "bought for your kid."

Posted by steveObrien at February 27, 2005 10:29 AM

Both!

Posted by Mike Greenberg at February 27, 2005 3:11 PM

Very unrelated to the iPod subject (sounds like a good thing for the dentist chair, so you keep your mind off what torture awaits you), but many posters here have mentioned that no one talks on the subway. I've also seen that, having taken BART to my San Francisco job for six 1990s years. So I must relate my favorite BART incident:

It was the day before the Big Game, and five Cal-Berkeley girls were waiting to board. Turns out they formed an a capella vocal jazz group, singing the old standards. And they decided to practice on the way back to campus! For their whole trip to Berkeley, the passengers were entertained by musical talent that was worth more than the price of a BART ticket to Berkeley. (And after the applause, at least one girl would shout "Go Bears!" Sorry, TP.) Can't get that from an iPod.

Posted by Ron at February 28, 2005 12:26 PM