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The AirPods Effect

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Re: The AirPods Effect

#191

Post by danielbln »

jorisw wrote: post #131
camillomiller wrote: post #127

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> As a GenYer I find this rude and I'll take them out any time I interact with someone. Interesting point. Airpods actually work great as hearing aids and I personally use that in loud environments, but I find myself cringing when I do because exactly of what you say. So maybe normalizing their use even when interacting is fine? Still, I can't shake off the idea that I'm not fully connected with you if I'm talking t…

Yeah, to me personally it just seems like treating the other person (e.g. a cashier or waiter) like a tool or utility rather than a human being. Even if your music is paused (which they can't know)

Have you asked an actual cashier what they think? They handle hundreds of people every day, do you really think they consider it rude if people don't chat them up? You can smile and say hello and thank you with or without headphones. This once again seems like a cultural divide, as a German I'm happy if noone talks to me outside of smiles and hello/goodbye, this might be different in the anglosphere.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#192

Post by wolvoleo »

try_the_bass wrote: post #94

The thought of intentionally deafening myself to the outside world, even partially, is unnerving, because I can't stand the thought of nerfing my own situational awareness to that degree. Especially in fast-paced environments, like city streets, where sounds can carry such important signal. Even watching someone else walk around a city with headphones/earbuds in is something that makes me uncomfortable by proxy. It's…

You can turn most of them into transparency mode too. I do that sometimes when I'm in an area where I feel unsafe. So I can hear people sneaking up on me.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#193

Post by joxdosba »

inigyou wrote: post #175
joxdosba wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Am European, at least in the big cities, public transport is mostly not worth using unless you are too poor to afford better options. Too crowded, too hot, there’s a decent chance of arriving at your destination drenched in sweat. Not to mention how absolutely gross the people sitting next to you will often be. I’ll happily take a few parking fines every day rather than getting in the tube.

Nobody uses it, it's too crowded

People mostly use it because they can’t afford the better options.

McDonald’s is also extremely popular, as are Coca Cola and Bud light.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#194

Post by tentacleuno »

danaris wrote: post #117
alberth wrote: post #98

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. Checked out twice. No hearing loss at all. My hearing is actually better than age appropriate, so the doctors say I’ll just have to live with it because they can’t detect it.

You should look into notch therapy apps—I have some very mild tinnitus that flared up into moderate tinnitus for a couple of months last year, so I was looking for options and found that there were some that looked promising.

What was your experience with them?

Re: The AirPods Effect

#195

Post by gijsnijholt1980 »

steve1977 wrote: post #144

What I find interesting is that the article seems to imply that wearing earbuds to isolate is somewhat "unnatural" (for lack of a better term). However it does not take into account that the kind of social interactions where people wear earbuds (i.e. loud and busy environments with many strangers, often physically closer than comfortable) is unnatural to begin with. For me, isolating myself acoustically is a way to n…

Agreed. Unrelated pro-tip: wearing them while riding a motorcycle. Reduces fatigue and transforms a rough experience into almost luxurious. Highly recommended.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#196

Post by wolvoleo »

alberth wrote: post #69

Tinnitus I swear my tinnitus is a result of use of AirPods. I never wore any type of earphones ever. Then started using AirPods for calls, during workouts or on a plane. A year later I developed tinnitus and the only thing that changed in my life was wearing AirPods. I’m no doctor, and who knows what caused my tinnitus. But it’s irreversible. I constantly hear a humming ring now and it’s super distracting, especially…

Hearing damage causing (eventually) tinnitus is cumulative so it could well have been that you were already building it up.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#198

Post by wolvoleo »

kylemaxwell wrote: post #18

Eh. I'm autistic and audio overstimulation is very real for me. When out at a restaurant or similar public place, I often have my AirPods in with nothing playing, just noise cancellation. I can still chat with my wife or whomever is with me and hear them, albeit muffled, but it keeps everything else down and manageable. Perhaps I could get some of those Loops, which I understand are less obtrusive.

Yeah I use them for that too. I use loops a lot in clubs etc and people sometimes comment on them and I explain and they're fine about it.

I can hear them better anyway and I have some degree of hearing damage so I prefer them in for protection in those cases.

Re: The AirPods Effect

#199

Post by jorisw »

danielbln wrote: post #191
jorisw wrote: post #131

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, to me personally it just seems like treating the other person (e.g. a cashier or waiter) like a tool or utility rather than a human being. Even if your music is paused (which they can't know)

Have you asked an actual cashier what they think? They handle hundreds of people every day, do you really think they consider it rude if people don't chat them up? You can smile and say hello and thank you with or without headphones. This once again seems like a cultural divide, as a German I'm happy if noone talks to me outside of smiles and hello/goodbye, this might be different in the anglosphere.

> chat them up

You’re conflating intent to chat with the possibility to converse if needed

Re: The AirPods Effect

#200

Post by wolvoleo »

jvican wrote: post #32
ActorNightly wrote: post #24

> Americans are speaking to one another far less than they used to. According to that study, the number of spoken words uttered by the average person fell by 28% between 2005 and 2019. Each year during that time period, the number of words people spoke in an average day declined. I wonder what the difference is between this, and culture in EU where small talk isn't really a thing.

The EU is large and most importantly very diverse. Pretty much all the West and South of Europe has a very strong small talk culture. You shall not stereotype a country, and even less so a political and economical union of countries.

And within those regions it differs a lot too. Here in a big Spanish city you would find very little too, especially in summer when there's so many tourists.
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