Generation i(Pod)

There is something very wrong with the iPod. No, it’s not that it can’t hold enough songs. No, it’s not that it isn’t user-friendly enough. And no, it’s not because it’s produced by Mac. In short, I’m not talking about the manufacturing defects, but instead its image, use, and consequences. It’s slowly transforming our culture. It’s transforming people. No matter where I go I see people with those two white strings dangling out from their ears. Those people are plugged in. They are listening to something that no-one else can hear. They are in their own world, full of music and without social consciousness.

The name itself begins with an “i,” deliberately lowercase to emphasize its individuality. If you think about it, all the different skins and accessories that you can put on it along with the personalized selection of songs, almost no two iPods can really be alike. It’s about as unique as you are right? That’s the line of reasoning the producers hope you buy because they know conformity isn’t cool. But the advertisements and reality tell a different story. All the posters and TV ad clips show faceless people. Black shadows against some vivid color. Silhouettes. Like what they ultimately produce in people. Because how can you really be unique when you’re buying the same product (for the image mind you because there are more qualified and lower priced mp3 players if all you cared about was a player) and wearing it to the same places everyone else does? Sure one can be dancing in front of a green screen while the other person dances in front of a pink screen, but ultimately they are just shadows, taking dictation from pop culture.

Ok, I know people love listening to their music. But do you really need to listen to it walking everywhere you go? When you’re at the Gym? Or studying? I feel terrible approaching anyone who’s plugged in because they give me such a distasteful look like “hold on, let me take my earpiece out, what do you want again???” I realize you like listening to music, I love to listen to music as well. But how about just listening to reality for once. Just hearing the ordinary sounds of life. Or if there are no sounds, just think about things. Can you even think clearly, or independently at all, when you have music blaring in your ear? Instead, when you’re at the beach, listen to the waves. When you’re walking, listen to the birds. When you’re at the gym, talk to your neighbor. If you read my blog called “Why Thinking is Good,” you’ll know that I am all about human interaction and relationships. You can learn from people. Or if you’re so arrogant to think that you can’t learn from others, why not teach them something.

You see my biggest problem with mp3 players in general is that it tunes people out of reality. I’m not saying the players are inherently bad, but like everything else, once they become abused I believe they can cause real harm to society by disconnecting people. It's a wonderful paradox: by electronically connecting, they are disconnecting from society. People start thinking in terms of "i" and not of "we," which adds to the ingenuity and tremendous symbolism of the title "iPod." But my problem with the iPod in particular is that it glamorizes this separation and sells it as cool image. I’m all for people having a good time and having the freedom to choose, but I think that if the iPod trend continues, we will only see more of the same ominous wires hanging out of people’s ears, devoid of social interaction, devoid of consciousness, devoid of any meaningful contribution to others or society. They’re plugged into their own world. It’s happy there. They hear what they like there. But isn’t it "OD"???