I applaud the author and I would really like to see a continuation of this topic. I am actually doing a sociology project right now on the "culture of ipods". Sociological concepts such as commodification of desire, conspicuous consumption, high culture, the addictive virus, and the democracy of goods are all very relevant to ipods and their impact on our society.

I don't know about you, but I wear lightweight headphones, so the noise of the city is certainly not drowned out. Which is handy, since most people take crosswalks to be modernist asphalt decoration rather than the driving instructions they are.

Incidentally, I will frequently ride the subway with my headphones on and no sound -- people seem more willing to get out of the way if they think I'm not paying attention.

Andrew Sullivan has two articles on the topic which I highly recommend - The first was,

"Society is dead, we have retreated into the iWorld"

Each time I load a new album into iTunes at work, I am guilty for taking a moment to predict the perception it might cause in my coworkers. On the flip side, seeing/hearing such windows into the souls of colleagues is a great way of understanding why Coworker A answers "'Sup" to every inquiry and Coworker B's vacation days coincide with Josh Grobin's tour schedule.

Interesting comments on your Mini's impact on the awareness of your surroundings. Check out a post I recently wrote on the theory of Absent Presence...cool theory and worth some investigation.
http://woolardspeak.blogspot.com/2005/03/connecting-with-absent-presence...

Interesting. MIT's Media Lab has a project called TunA. (h**p://web.media.mit.edu/~stefan/hc/projects/tuna/)

"tunA is a mobile wireless application that allows users to share their music locally through handheld devices. Users can "tune in" to other nearby tunA music players and listen to what someone else is listening to. Developed on iPaqs and connected via 802.11b in ad-hoc mode, the application displays a list of people using tunA that are in range, gives access to their profile and playlist information, and enables synchronized peer-to-peer audio streaming."

it's funny how we constantly blame technology for our devolution. or for our so-called englithenment.

i think i-pod hasn't done anything to effect us. we're still just as self absorbed, as ever.

it's just now instead of someone going into your home and seeing the best of burt bacharach, and making fun of you, they see it online and make fun of you.

but either way it's about the 'self.' whether it's the 'self' being made fun of, or the 'self' making fun.

could it just be that the human race has always been this way, as wlel as always being kind and compassionate?

do you really think because i'm listening to the buzzcocks on prince st, that the homeless populations daily take is less?

that may not be "crazy," as the last guy said.

but it's certainly simplistic.

Bah. Without the iPod the subway's a like listening to a sack of banana spiders complain about the accomodations. It just ain't that interesting even if you can hear it. When my subway cars aren't talk-free, the beggars sing the same old songs, the kids laughing and giggling are less interesting than a Tickle-Me Malmo (the Chinatown knock-off, don't you know), and the office-talk between coworkers who were unfortunate enough to accidentally board the same car as a colleague they don't really know is made of the same inanities I hear in my own office. Or that I would hear, that is, if I didn't listen to my iPod all day there, too.

I don't think this is a new thing that came along with ipod/itunes, I was just as sensitive about who I let see my music collection before as I am now. There's a whole lot that can be assumed by what is and isn't in your music library, let alone your playlists.

When you think about it the same thing goes for your reading library: I don't want someone noticing a trashy novel I've read once, if I've read through all of Shakespeare and Guy de Maupassant multiple times.

dear anyone that can save my life!!!
hi there! my name is sam and im a 3rd year design management student, in surrey-UK.
basically this is a huge call for help. yesterday i had my dissertation scrapped by my tutors... as i was bored with it!
i now have 5 weeks. to research and write a 10,000 dissertation which is the main part of my degree.
my new title is IPOD'S AND THE EFFECTS ON SOCIETY AND CULTURE.
i dnt know where to start but any research or work you have done that u are willing to let me qote or read... id REALLY apprechiate it. beyond belife.
my email incase u cant see it is samantha_selby@hotmail.com
thank you so much

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