“Hey Bud, can I help you with something?” I asked my teenage son as I walked into the kitchen.
He had his back to me and didn’t react at all.
“Hey, Bud,” I said again, louder this time with a little more urgency.
no response.
Finally, I tapped him on the shoulder and he jumped. When he turned around, I realized what I should have noticed. He had his Apple AirPods in and was listening to music.
If you have teenagers at home, there’s a good chance they’ve had an experience like the one I just described. Teens can easily get lost in their own thoughts and feelings even in normal situations. However, when you put on the earphones, that trend changes. amplified even more.
There are two separate but equally important things we need to discuss regarding this ubiquitous technology.
The first one is simple. His son was wearing earphones so he couldn’t hear me. But scientists now say that we often have PLDs (personal listening devices) in our ears, and in some cases, we may not be able to hear at all. Point down the road.
The study was published in an open access journal BMJ Global Health Late last year (according to reports) neuroscience news) suggests that as many as 1 billion young people worldwide are at risk of hearing loss due to PLD and loud concerts. Children can hear the former sound up to 105 dB, but at a live concert it can jump up to 112 dB.
The researchers drew data from 33 different European studies conducted on people between the ages of 12 and 34. After analyzing the data, we concluded that 24% of teens and 48% of young adults use these devices at high volumes, and in fact, they do so loud enough. Dangerously erodes your hearing. “Governments, industry, and civil society urgently need to prioritize global hearing loss prevention by promoting safe listening practices,” the study authors recommend.
I believe they are probably correct. This should be a wake-up call for those of us who have children who use these devices all the time, if only we could hear it and take note. Let’s be honest, some of us have faced similar problems ourselves after growing up with the original Walkman and portable music. Probably, to be honest, many of us are facing similar problems.
But alongside this, there is another problem: social isolation.
Over the past few years, a number of studies have shown a correlation between social media use and negative mental health outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts, including a new study published this week. is also included. The role of isolation in portable Bluetooth earphones probably hasn’t received the same level of attention. But you don’t have to look far to find studies and articles that suggest this technology is another factor leading to increased social disconnection.
In his article on August 30, 2022, psychology today In the article “Listen Up: Why Earbuds Are a Threat to Ourselves and Society,” Jim Taylor writes: “The simple act of putting on earphones and listening to whatever we listen to (no matter what it is) can be causing irreparable psychological damage to ourselves,” and emotionally as well. Socially too. Perhaps the most concerning aspect of continuous earphone use is the purgatory in which our minds exist. We are caught between connecting with the outside world through some kind of social interaction and connecting with our inner world of thoughts and emotions. ”
In other words, earphones create an emotional disconnect within us and a relational disconnect externally.
Taylor goes on to say, “Full experience of one’s own inner life is essential to knowing and understanding oneself and acting in ways that foster mental health and well-being.” When we’re inserted, we’re less likely to notice or think about our emotions, so we don’t immediately know whether we’re feeling happy, sad, excited, angry, satisfied, frustrated, or loving. Unable to judge. By not being able to feel the full range of emotions, we miss out on what makes life meaningful, fulfilling, and what makes us feel alive. Part For people, earphones are both a means of self-defense against a world they consider hostile, and a means of self-medication to avoid feeling the pain that attempts to anesthetize them.”
oh.
Personally, I have seen and experienced what Taylor is talking about. In order to get his son’s attention, he had to break through the wall of earphones to have a simple conversation with his son.
In the spirit of full disclosure, I recently got my first pair of earphones. (I resisted it, not for philosophical reasons, but for very practical reasons: It’s so small, I always lose it.) I listen to podcasts and YouTube content on my lunchtime walks. I wore it to listen to. But the inevitable outcome is a very real social isolation. I don’t stop and talk to people when they’re around. Because suddenly it feels like a lot of work. Similarly, when you see plastic speakers, obviously black or white, in people’s ears, it’s like a sign saying, “Don’t worry, I’m listening to my music.” I feel like I’m wearing it.
Therefore, even though our poor eardrums are beating, we may be creating relational distance between ourselves and others. And, it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: this is a potential concern, not just for “kids,” but for all of us who have small plastic or rubber objects stuck in our ears.
What should I do?
I don’t usually give others the final word on what I write. But that’s what we’re going to do here. Because I really appreciate Jim Taylor’s “so what?” way of summarizing it. question:
“Ultimately, it is up to each of us to decide what we value, what our priorities are, and what kind of life we want to live. Power is the ability to make choices that we believe are healthy and life-affirming. At the same time, we can exercise that power over our family, friends, co-workers, and other people in our lives, inviting them to this cause. By inviting participation, we amplify that power. Then the power of one person spreads to the power of many people. That’s how a movement can begin and collective change can occur. So why don’t you take the earphones out of your ears and listen to it first?