Early Radio Headphones Fell Out of Favor - Assignment Example

Why early radio headphones fell out of favor with mass audiences after 1925 (the year the loudspeaker was introduced), only to suddenly come back in style with the emergence of Hi-If in the 1960s’ Head phone is a device consisting of two ear pieces or small sized speakers that the user can attach with or wear on his ears. There are three permanent parts of a head phone 1) a voice coil 2) a magnet and 3) a cone shaped diaphragm. Head phones are the modern and recent version of ear pieces that were used in the past. They were the sole hearing aide before the amplifiers were invented. There are two types of head phones one plug-in and the other, wireless. Plug-in type of head phones is with wire and is used to connect with radio sets, CD / DVD, home theatre, personal computers and laptops etc. The other type of head phones is a most recent form. The wireless head phones can be taken anywhere. They work with radio signals or the infrared rays. In recent times head phones specially the cordless ones are used more for the professional purposes. In disco, recording rooms, concerts, listening tests and in personal chat, cordless head phones are used more widely. They are used by airplane pilots too. Furthermore, head phones are used in telephones as well. Head phones are more common among youngsters than the mid-aged or old age persons. But as an invention head phones are not devoid of side effects as well. Radio head phone 1920. 1920s head phone ads Head phones started to gain public attention in the beginning of the twentieth century. As early as in 1920s head phone though not very comfortable as they are now, drew people’s attention. At that time radio and public gatherings were the sole entertainment. The invention of head phone introduced people with a brand new idea, that of listening to one’s favorite things in privacy. Later people got so hooked on head phones that they started to use them everywhere. From social gathering to family chit chat time, people preferred to stay connected to the head phones. The advertising companies projected head phones as a must-have for trendy and fashionable people The reality Despite the picture shown by the head phone advertising companies the reality was much more grim and threatening. People started taking h p as a status symbol. They used head phones to such an extent that they actually isolated themselves from their social circle. People had started to take head phones everywhere from parties to friends’ meetings. This resulted in developing an anti social society where the people were only concerned about the radio programs or their favorite music. Putting an end to social terms, head phones became more like a disaster than a blessing. The real picture of this dilemma can be seen in the pictures displayed by the public and not the advertising companies. The excessive use of head phones gave rise to individuality rather than mutuality. This anti social attitude continued till the end of 1925. After that people started to realize how drastic it was to shun the society and be self engrossed. This sense deepened with the invention of loud speakers. A realistic comparison between pre and post head phone 1920s time. This was a user submitted copy of the comparison. It shows that social gatherings were highly appreciated at that time especially before the invention and popularity of the head phones. This picture shows how self engrossed and oblivious had people become after the arrival of the head phones. The social fabric seemed to tear apart because of this selfish attitude that people showed since after the excessive usage of head phones. Invention of loud speakers 1925 Social life started to come back to normality after the invention of loud speaker in 1925. Loud speakers helped in bridging the gulf that the head phones had widened in society. Post 1925 A metal horn like instrument that could convert the sound waves into music or words was called loud speaker. Starting its journey from 1861 and to reaching the 1920s era, loud speaker had changed many technical shapes. Firstly it was being put in a phone for hearing and speaking purpose. Loud speaker kept changing many shapes since after then. Finally it emerged in 1925 causing a sudden down fall to head phones’ popularity. Social impacts of loud speaker Loud speakers did not take much time in gaining mass attention. It came as an over whelming force and engulfed the very soul of the society, thus people, once again turned towards mutuality instead of individuality. Broken social links were rebuilt. Family and social gathering were once again popular. Loud speakers ensured that many people were listening to the same thing at the same time. Not only that, people could chat, sits together, laugh or cry simultaneously at the same thing. Loud speakers involved a larger group of people in same activity. From 1925 to 1940s people had learnt that social bonding was much more important than individual entertainment. Loud speakers were used in seminars, debates, political campaigns and concerts where the audiences were a large group of people and not a single person. Reemergence of the head phones Head phones reemerged in 1940s and changed the way of the world once again. This time with a much refined and modernized form, head phones came with many attractive features that captured the people’s attention all of a sudden. Back in 1925 head phone was a heavy metal device and one had to pick quite some burden in order to carry a portable head phone. But in 1940s head phone came in a much smaller size. This new size was not only easy to hold but was handy too. With small sized ear phones it looked even more chic and stylish. It was much easier to put the new shaped head phones in a bag or pocket unlike the old ones that were too big that they looked like a bag even. This latest type of Head phones started to gain popularity again in 1940s and 1950s putting loud speaker somewhere in the back ground. By this time society’s mindset had changed a lot. People had once again begun to emphasis on the importance of individuality. Social circles were limited again. People were more professional and materialistic than social. The reemergence of head phone changed the way of interaction with people. The darker side of these head phones however, was that being small in size they were not good in quality as was expected from them. These head phones had poor hearing and a higher risk of damaging the ears. The size of the ear pieces was small enough to easily snug into one’s ears. But its hearing quality was so poor that it caused the risk to ears instead of being a source of entertainment. If noticed with care, it is evident that the small size of ear phones resembles the hearing aid instead of a head phone. 1950s head phone. Finally in 1960s came hi-fidelity head phones. They made the world realize what advancement was called. The hi-fi head phone gained popularity as soon as it came to the market. The sale of these head phones rose so very high that many audio dealers had started calling them the hottest thing that was selling with such might and such speed. 1960s head phones. The advertisement companies started propagating this newer version of the head phones in a newer way. Keeping in mind the reason of failure of the head phones back in 1925 and the sudden rise in the popularity of loud speakers, this time the companies came up with a whole new idea. The head phones were not shown as a single person’s entertainment any more. The ads showed two people listening to the same device and getting entertained. This idea was very sharply put forward by the advertisers only to convince people to the brighter side of the head phones. The advertising companies launched the idea of individuality in a whole new term. However, some major flaws rested with this idea too. Firstly, if a head phone was to entertain two people at the same time then what was the need to buy such expensive device at all instead of a hi-fi amplifier of loud speaker?? Secondly, it looked quite awkward and rude that two people were listening to something, cutting themselves off from the rest of the society or the group they were sitting or travelling with. Thirdly, listening to music in a loud volume could cause distraction to the next sitting person. Socio-political impacts of head phones from 1920s to till date Advantages Since everything is comprised of some advantages and some flaws, head phones too have both. Firstly, the major reason of people going crazy after head phones is the privacy they offer to a listener. In a group every person has his own choice of music or radio program and it is not possible that every one’s choice should be listened at the same time. So head phones make it easy for people to decide when and what they want to listen personally. Secondly, head phone is a blessing for the people travelling in a public transport. To avoid boredom, head phone can be their best pal among all the strangers travelling along. It not only provides entertainment but also makes the travelling time pass faster. Thirdly, head phones can help in bringing people closer as one can share an ear piece with a friend or the next sitting person while travelling in a public transport. Drawbacks It is, however disappointing to note that head phones appear to have more draw backs than the advantages. Firstly, they have ruined the very soul of the society by disconnecting people to people relation. With the popularity of head phones, a major pull back has been witnessed in person to person contact. Head phone has changed the way of how people interact with each other (if they ever do any more). Secondly, head phones make one look awkward in public. A self engrossed person sitting in a group of people will only look rude no matter how expensive and latest head phone is he wearing. Thirdly, medical science does not approve of the head phones altogether and attaches many health hazard with their excessive use. Listening to music through a head phone in loud voice is fatal and can cause worse damages to ears. These damages can range from minor problems like pain in ears to harmful one like the tearing of sound tissues in ear. Furthermore, the excessive use of head phone can cause brain damages too. Listening to one thing repeatedly and keep humming it later can shorten the memory. For students it can be even worse since it can be a great hurdle for them in memorizing their school or university lessons. There are many other safety concerns also attached with the usage of head phone at public places. Walking on the road with a head phone in one’s ears can be a real disaster as it partially or totally deafens the person. Resultantly, one cannot hear any car or bus passing by particularly if it is alarming one to get aside. The journey of head phones The head phones have seen a lot of changes since after they were first introduced to the market. With the rising and falling fandom, head phones have sustained the power to return with full force and over whelming popularity. Now head phones are small in size yet appealing to a much greater number of people. They have been able to attract people of every age and every class. Head phones have not only seen radical changes over the years but their features have also become astonishingly latest. Despite all the success stories and the amazing journey of over 90 years, head phones have gathered an equal number of opponents along with the fans. It is true that head phones are a major source of entertainment but time has proved that the advertising companies are not selling them at true basis at all. The real life experiences are much grimmer than the shimmering beauty of head phones. Head phones isolate a person from the society making him partial or full deaf. So in reality the audio companies are making up a world of the dead people. There are no rules or regulations of using head phones by which one can abide. The public use of head phones is not prohibited. Resultantly, head phones are building up an indifferent and oblivious class all over the world. Head phones are also a major reason for weakening the social ties between people. They serve as a great hindrance in people to people terms promoting aloofness and isolation. Briefly, one can assert that behind the over whelming success story of head phones, there lays a cold attitude of individuals towards the society. So a latest invention like head phone still has a long way to go to be socially approved. Otherwise, reality and appearance will keep standing at polls apart. References http://www.etsy.com/listing/44571854/awesome-1950s-headphones http://everything2.com/title/Social+effects+of+headphones http://www.headphone.com/rightbetweenyourears Read More