J-Soft Blog

Monday, February 20, 2006

A post on Brodie's livejournal got me thinking about how incredibly pervasive portable media players have become. In his words, "the music player anti-social lifestyle".

I notice the disconnect and often wonder about it. It seems everyone but me is wearing earbuds or headphones every waking moment. I have even observed people watching portable dvd players on the subway. I don't envy them. To me it seems as if they don't want to be responsible for their own thoughts or minds. They must be forever occupied by something. They must be fed an unending stream of prefabricated experience while reality goes on around them.

While everyone around me is plugged into worlds someone else has prepared for them, I wonder why they have chosen to be immersed in those worlds so completely, and why I seem to be the only one for whom this is a question. I always conclude that I just don't get it and move on. Those times on the subway, bus, or a long walk can be very useful. I tackle problems, plan the day, reflect on the day, or practice. I am often able to focus on a mental task most effectively in those times when everyone else plugs into their portable media. I just don't get the "music player anti-social lifestyle". An ipod is great to be sure, but I could never stand to use it to the extent most people do. There's only so long I can stand to have headphones on anyway, and I absolutely detest ear buds.
posted by Jesse at 7:46 PM #