grad student writing an iPod paper

[noahz747]

hello,
i'm a grad student. for my media studies
class, i'm trying to write a paper on the social
and cultural aspects of the iPod. I'd love
to talk with anyone who has ideas or an interest in
these things. Thanks!

[triplexflame]

I'm only 14 years of age, but I believe I can help. In my perspective, I believe the iPod is very important in both social and cultural aspects in the world. The iPod allows both personal and shared listening of music, changing most peoples reality of music and how it may be enjoyed. It lets people carry music in a compact device, which they may listen with others, thus forming a greater bond between mutual listeners. Those with common interests in music may then create another base of friendship, or may initiate a friendship. Also, many a person listening to an iPod will be asked by a peer, perhaps at school or at work, if they can listen, establishing social contact. Also, an iPod seems to be a statement among others. If one were to see another with an iPod, one will most probably view the person as either rich, or "cool". It is feasible for the iPod to have cultural aspects if it is used to carry songs which have relations with their culture. I conclude there are a vast number of ways the iPod impacts society and culture, included but not limited to those above.

[melsmusic]

From an older person's objective (mid 30's) .. the ipod has given me a great source of stress relief especially at bedtime. It takes me away from my busy hectic life and I can really space out and relax.
It has also opened up my music awareness for other genre's of music I would not have had before.
I hope these comments are some help.

[Adam]

Post it here once you're done!

Don't really have any advice, I do engineering and write about facts, not opinion

[AloneInTheDark]

From someone just about 17 years old, I feel the the ipod is really a great technique to share music, whether it's word of mouth or through the internet. I don't know how many times someone has peeked over my shoulder and looked at what I was listening to, and 3 days later they'll have the same song playing.

[honeybee1236]

Please read the Forum Policy - cross posting in the forums is not allowed.

[moe_4eva]

I'm a 20 year old college student, and to tell you the truth, the whole reason I got an ipod was to motivate me to start running again (I have been inactive seen the dog days of highschool when I played soccer). While in school, it is very hard to exercise, and I used the ipod mostly when I was studying in order to concentrate and/or relax. I would use it to let people know that I was doing something important and that I shouldn't be bothered (worked like a charm, by the way). Now that I am out of school, I run about 3-5 miles every day and the ipod has been a life saver in that regard. The hardest thing about exercising is to maintain interest in what you are doing. Like I said, I'm a college student, so I can't afford gym prices. This leaves things like running, tennis, etc. cheap options. Previously, I have had trouble maintaining an exercise program because I would get incredibly bored to it very quickly. I would listen to a bulky CD player, but I could only listen to a single CD at a time, which gets to be pretty boring. With the ipod, my music and style of music is constantly changing. If I don't like a song, I have literally hundreds of others to choose from. When running, it keeps me interested in my music, and makes the run much more enjoyable. I love my ipod for this reason, and couldn't imagine living without it.

[Kidtnt27]

Being a former grad student in student affairs....I would use your paper on the ipod to talk about the social aspects of the ipod. many administrators at the institution I work for now...do not like the ipod for the "individualistic Atmosphere" that has been created on campus. You will see those students on campus with ipods...walking around....keeping to themselves...and not socializing with anyone while they are going to and fro. I have one....and I have been trying to break this negative stigma...that the ipod has here. Many of the upper admin. praise its many uses...and the capabilities.....but do not like the think that freshman students especially can afford to lock themselves away socially.

You could also use your report to research the effects on long term hearing loss.....or try to find accidents or mistakes that have been caused by careless usuage. (Example...listening to ipod while driving...running late at night and getting attacked....etc)

[bbqhog]

Consider the anti-social aspects of the iPod as well. Take a ride on a public bus or local train at commuter time and look at all the people wrapped up in their own little world with those white earbuds dangling from their head. Not communicating with each other.

Not to say this is good or bad - just an observation.

hi, im 15 and im a freshman in high school. My class is about 900 kids and i would say at least half of them have an iPod of some sort or another. I got mine just so i could have all my music in one place and listen to whatever i felt like listening to, not what happened to be in my cd player or on the radio. I think that iPods are anti-social, but countless people do ask you to see what's on your iPod or where you got ur Ipod case.

[Teh-Geebz]

Socially, I'd say the iPod can be a conversation starter. When people see you with one, they wanna know what you're listening to. Then you get into a discussion (or argument) over the music

[jimbopod]

I'd say the main impact of the iPod is the facts that is has had such a large impact in so many different ways, whether motivation to go in the gym or merely take music everywhere!

[Shufflez]

it helps me sleep at night and instead of snugglin' a teddy i snuggle the shuffle.....

[zhtfreak]

Hi,

I guess it depends on whether the ipod is a good or bad thing socially. I talk to people all the time while I'm listening to mine, but it's nice to have if no one's talking to me anyway, like on long bus rides and stuff.

But I definitely agree about it being a conversation starter. Just last night I was at an amusement park and ran into a friend who I hadn't seen for about a year. The girl who was with him was listening to her shuffle in line, so I asked her which ipod she had. She showed it to me, and I told her it was the same one I had. She has a case for hers, so I asked her about that since I want to get one. We got talking, and we found out we both like some of the same music. She let me listen to parts of songs when she found out I knew them. It was fun, even though another girl in the group I was with probably wanted to smack me. LOL

[Zap]

ok so hear me 2 cents. I was on the school bus for one day( not my bus ,it was broke) and these high schoolers( i was 7th grade at the time) were being jerks and insulting me and mypoliical view. They ask me why i was not a republican, i told them why, they stop then a few minutes laters they started agian,i reallt did ot want ot talk to these idiots so i truned on my iPod, it was great could not hear aword of what the were saying. It saved me from talking to these idiots.

The iPod can also be socail or anti social. U can start a talk about what is on ur iPod or you can listen to someone else ipod and talk about the music. Or u can turn u iPod on a tone the world out, which is kind of anti-socail, but can be good or bad, all on how someone uses it.