The Social Impact of the iPod - Research Paper Example

?THE SOCIAL IMPACT OF THE iPOD Introduction There are certain tangible, material developments in society which stand out for their impacts on people’s relations to each other individually and to the collective community. There are phenomena which are capable of transforming not only how people act, but think, even believe. Among the most potent developments that have the power to change how we live are the technological devices that provide us the greatest utility at an intimate and personal level. Oftentimes, the human affinity for these devices reflects the innate social and psychological needs that modern lifestyle imposes. This study explores the social context in which Apple’s iPod has gained significance in the lives of millions of users. The iPod as a technological and commercial success In October 2001, computer manufacturer Apple launched the iPod, a pocket-sized gadget that plays music that may be listened to by its wearer even while the latter is mobile. The iPod’s introductory price at $399 was considered by its critics to be a major problem since it was priced higher than many of the other music players it was competing with at the time. More importantly, the iPod was released into the market just after 9/11 and at the height of the technology slump (Economist, 2004). Instead, the iPod had instead proven to be the most popular, best-selling, and concededly the most fashionable music-player in the market. In nearly all public places, people could be seen with the characteristic white earphone leads leading to the device. The earliest models were built with a 5 gigabyte hard disk that could store up to 1,000 songs; the later models had upwards of 40 gigabytes and a storage capacity of 10,000 songs, when other MP3 players could only store dozens of selections at the most. Coupled with the iPod’s capacious memory is Apples’ iTunes that allows music to be downloaded at less than a dollar per track. Techno buffs point out that while the iPod is essentially a fad that may be replaced by other devises and models, it is the first music-playing device to make use of hard disk technology. In the next few years after the iPod was introduced in the market, its immediate converts belonged to the twenty- and thirty-something status-conscious young adults (Bulik, 2008), and eventually to the teen-agers whose parents could spend the nearly four hundred dollars for one device per child. These meant not only the students in college, but also their professors who used their units not only to record music, but also digital lectures and talks that they would listen to in their free time (Levy, et al, 2004). More recently, and particularly since less costly models such as the iPod Nano ($149) had been marketed, there had been growing applications for the very young. Today, nearly one-third of digital media users are ten years old and below, and more than half of them prefer the iPod (Bulik, 2008). They usually benefit from hand-me-down video iPod units when their parents switch to newer models, but which still work well. At the same time, content directed at this age group have been developed by Disney, such as customized selections from Hannah Montana, High School Muscial and Pirates of the Carribean. Other media companies are following suit. The early success stature of the iPod culture was further enhanced when celebrities began enthusing over their own units, such as songwriter Denise Rich, Will Smith who called it “the gadget of the century,” and Gwyneth Paltrow who praised iPod in Vogue and coincidentally (or not) named her baby Apple. The device and its signature white earplug leads were seen in many movies and TV shows of the early 2000s as a common feature of daily life (Levy, et al., 2004). During the early years, the iPod had been most conspicuous in big cities and college campuses, and were patronized by students and professionals such as judges (Levy, et al., 2004). More recently, its use had spread even to unconventional locations (for a digital music player) and for reasons other than playing music. For instance, iPods are being used to teach children for whom English is a second language, and are now also used to train hospital staff (BBC News, 2006). Its large memory has also been used to store digital information for various purposes. The word ‘Podcasting’ developed as a term in 2004 as a combination of iPod and broadcasting. More than 22 million American adults own iPods and MP3 players, and about 6 million (29%) of them download podcasts from the Web onto their device in order to listen to them at their convenience (Pew/Internet, 2005). The iPod as a social device It used to be that a personal music player provided a private and individual experience. The iPod is the same in that it provides its user control over his audible environment. However, the iPod is likewise a social device in that it allows one to bring his personal choices of music with him and play them or share them with friends at a party or to family members in the car, simply by attaching it to an amplifying device. The facility of choosing track by track which selections to combine is unhampered by the limitation of CDs and albums whose playlists are determined by the vendor, many of which is not the user’s own choice. The popularity of iPods can be explained by structural functionalism, which focuses on “mapping the interconnections between various subsystems of society or organizations”(Heck, 1998:59); it views society as a closed structure that strive to return to a point of equilibrium if its state of balance is disturbed. Music in general and personal media in particular is viewed as a restorative device for one’s sense of detachment from society (Bull, 2005). In many ways, people who are immersed in the modern lifestyle are deprived of the communal involvement where each feels a connection with others. Mobile auditory stimulation “fills in” the spaces between meetings or communication and “structuring the spaces” by which the listener is able to re-establish a connection with the structured world. The structure is often exemplified by the listener arranging his playlist to match his activities for the day, allowing for the musical selection to fill in the auditory gaps in his pattern of activities. Conflict theory also explains the impact of the iPod. Conflict theory sees society as a system where people constantly compete for limited resources such as money, romantic partners, positions of fame or power (Sweeney & Carruthers, 1996), and where organisations compete with each other for dominance and stronger persuasive force among people (MacDonald, 2009). When one feels the “often-repressive ‘realm of the eversame’” (Adorno, 1976 in Bull, 2005:344) these are the moments when one seeks to establish his control and individuality over his environment, in some sense through the use of the iPod. The individual is “rebelling” against the predictability of his environment, seeking to impose his control over the boredom brought about by his rigid routine. Many times, such iPod users resort to the “shuffle” mode where their selections are played at random. They enjoy their music through long commutes and queuing lines so that “no dead air” is allowed to intrude into their consciousness to bore them (Bull, 2005:344). Finally, iPod use may be viewed through symbolic interactionism, which seeks to establish the relationship between society and the individuals that comprise it (Burbank & Martins, 2010); it turns on the principle that people respond to things, events and other people according to the personal significance these stimuli have for them, and that broad social action results from the collective response of many people acting individually (Blumer, 1986). Humans can therefore interpret and alter the meaning of things, from that meaning which had habitually been attributed to them. The iPod allows the individual to redefine his space and allow only those (auditory) stimuli he finds meaningful to convey meaning to whatever he may be doing at the moment (Bull, 2005). It allows him to shut out those elements in the immediate environment that he finds unsavoury and intrusive, and instead create an environment he is happier with. The proximity and mobility afforded by the iPod in this respect gives the listener the power to redefine what would have been meaningless space to one more meaningful to him. Conclusion The success of the iPod may be viewed in several contexts. From the perspective of functionalism, the ability of an individual to fill in the gaps in his auditory environment enables him to structure his day in the manner he has intended. Conflict theory may attribute the iPod’s success to the individual’s mobility and proximity in asserting his individuality in what may be a restrictive environment that tends to overshadow his individuality. Symbolic interactionism further allows the individual to be selective and enhance his control over his environment, in a way that enhances its meaningfulness to him. It is evident that the iPod had transcended its original purpose of being a mere music player, into providing for various needs not previously comprehended by its designer. It has become teaching aid, communication and teaching device, and personal companion during the lonely commute. Because the iPod allows the individual to exert a greater control on his environment and his life, it is evident that this technology will significantly redefine society for the long term. Bibliography BBC News (2006, March 29) Hospitals train staff with iPods, BBC News. Accessed 22 May 2011 from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4859302.stm Pew/Internet (2005, April) Podcasting. Pew Internet & American Life Project. Accessed 22 May 2011 from http://www.pewinternet.org/~/media/Files/Reports/2005/PIP_podcasting2005.pdf.pdf Blumer, H. (1986) Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method. University of California Press. Bulik, B.S. (2008, Jan 21) Little Ears Are Big Bucks for Music Players. Advertising Age. Accessed 22 May 2011 from http://adage.com/article/news/ears-big-bucks-music-players/123205/ Bull, M. (2005, Oct) No Dead Air! 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