Music Addiction: Stimulation versus Segregation
Voodoo Prunes Members
Jen Chiu
Robert Hunter
Rebecca Rodrigues
Hypothesis
The overuse of Mp3 players has negative social and psychological effects on users.
Research
The video production consists entirely of primary data from interviews with members of the student populations and professional interviews with experts in the fields of psychology and communication. Research suggested that the overuse of Mp3 players was a strategy for creating a private personal space while drowning out the world, as opposed to a simple addiction to stimulation. This suggested a larger social problem caused by proximity in urban environments.
Secondary research was not referenced in the production, though it did narrow the field of research while providing greater insight into the issues at hand. Secondary research suggested that the extensive use of portable listening devices has been causing social transformation since the release of the Walkman nearly 3 decades ago, with physical concerns that included hearing loss and attention deficits, in addition to the loss of social interaction and awareness. Research indicated that some scientists felt that the modern world was defined by its “soundscape”. With personal listening devices controlling this soundscape, societal change would become a concern as players held more music, lasted longer, and operated more as organisms (with friendly interfaces) than machines.
Methodology
Interviews with normal subjects were random, while professional interviews were scheduled events. Question structures were rigid to allow equal treatment of subjects.
The video was rendered with Final Cut Express and re-rendered with iMovie. Due to several unforeseen software disasters, the team was forced to make the video minimalist, plain, and speech driven. While this did not fit the original plan, the effect may prove nearly as effective given the subject matter.
Conclusion
The hypothesis was disproved when research indicated that overuse is the symptom of a social problem, as opposed to the cause of one. However, the confessions in the video prove a powerful testament to unexpected findings about the state of the urban soundscape.
Works Cited (secondary sources)
• http://cdhi.mala.bc.ca/test/issue2/essay5.htm
• http://clearlyexplained.com/answers/ipodethics.html
• http://www.4hearingloss.com/archives/2005/07/ipods_could_mak.html
• http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/6679.cfm
• http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2005/jul/28/thisweekssciencequestions
• http://www.hunfi.hu/mobil/2004/Bull_webversion.doc
• http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/i-listen-therefore-ipod/2006/12/01/1164777785702.html?page=3
• http://www.theregister.co.uk/2005/07/28/musical_hallucinations/
• http://www.vnunet.com/vnunet/news/2140422/ipod-help-produce-musical
• http://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2004/02/62396?currentPage=2
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
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