Headphones Everywhere
newyorker.com
Headphones Everywhere
1–10 of 105 posts
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#2this comes off like such rambling with no real point to it.
I suppose if I had to try and find his points they would be:
* "headphones are bad because they cause us to be isolated"
* "Millennials are seeing themselves as hard done by"
The second point might not be what the author means though, but the former has strong tones throughout the piece.
I do not agree, headphones are a way of having some level of privacy in an increasingly crowded and public world. We are expected to use public transport, for the good of our wallets and the good of the planet. However those public transport machines are especially loud (Bus engines are incredible) and we're beholden to the whim of shitty teenagers playing rap music at 100db from tiny speakers.
This is before I mention the increasingly popular open-office work environments, which put a large number of people in a room together for 8-10 hours every day.
I do not want to hear Debbie finalising that sales call and then talking shit to her colleague about the guy from third.. I want to get my work done and focus. Headphones are the only way to do that in a modern work environment.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#3Seems to assume everyone is listening to music, I'd bet it's closer to a 50/50 split between music and podcasts.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#4Interesting the author made no mention of hearing damage and the impact it could have on the younger generation.
I wonder if it was a deliberate decision to avoid a common debate or if she just didn't consider it.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#5For the most part the shared auditive environment is polluted beyond believe. Loud 24x7 traffic, degenerates with tiny phone speakers blaring, no holds barred shouting across the street ... The only way to keep some sanity is to shut it out. It is not the people donning headphones that are a-social, it is those that make it necessary to wear one that should be blamed.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#6Here in New York City, 90% of subway riders may be listening to headphones or engrossed in their smartphones, playing games, checking email, etc.
I have a feeling it's cut down on altercations and fights, maybe even panhandling and performers. I wonder if there's any data on it or if a similar effect happens elsewhere.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#7This article has been published every year since the headphones were invented.
Before the headphones the isolation device were books, a thing that would make us detach from reality and turn us crazy (this is the main plot of Don Quixote, a novel written in 1620)
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#8When I code, headphones block out distractions and music gets me in the right mentality.
When refactoring or debugging code, I like fast paced with action-packed lyrics. Dragonforce Through the Fire and Flames, Darude Sandstorm, Linkin Park, Eminem Til I Collapse
When writing new code, I like slow paced with thoughtful or romantic[1] lyrics. Joni Mitchell, Mozart, Carpenters
I've also started to put the song on repeat on the background. I recommend ListenOnRepeat.
[1] http://www.ruhr-uni-bochum.de/psy-methoden/methodenlehre/Lov...
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#9Seems to assume everyone is listening to music, I'd bet it's closer to a 50/50 split between music and podcasts.
I'd say that split is VERY regional dependent and that you are likely overestimating the percentage of podcast listeners as a whole.
Re: Headphones Everywhere
#10I listen to podcasts usually, makes my bike commute of 25 min seem to go much faster while I'm listening to No Agenda or the Linux Action Show.
I do notice though that whenever I take them off, usually because I already have a head full of thoughts, there is a soothing effect. I think the constant flow of information is nice as a distraction but makes one much less mindful of other things. The brain does not seem to get the periods of wandering thoughts it craves from time to time. Constant information intake seems to make me less friendly to people, makes me stare and smile less. It makes me enjoy the beauty around me less. So I started to take them off more often, but it feels like I'm fighting an addiction when I do.