Anti-social behaviour is spreading on the streets of Ottawa. Buses have fallen silent and lines at the bank have become less chatty as the proliferation of dangling white earbud cords marks the triumph of the personal cocoon over public space.
Apple’s iPod has made its move to the middle-class mainstream and along with it has come an acceptance of those who choose to tune out their surroundings in favour of their own individual groove. Apple sells a pod of isolation as the ultimate cool. Advertisements show stylish silhouettes, each dancing to their own beat supplied by those ubiquitous white wires. The sales pitch sounds too good to be true. You’ll never have to abandon your comfort zone while going through the motions of being out and about. No more irritating elevator muzak, or sound of crying kids in the mall.
Personal portable electronics from the iPod to the Playstation Personal (PSP) and the ever-shrinking Blackberry (affectionately dubbed the “crackberry” for its addictive properties), let people take their world with them wherever they go. But building a bubble to shield from the outside world has ill effects for society.
With little speakers jammed into the ears it’s impossible to catch those snippets of conversations that may contain an unknown fact, a brilliant idea or a hilarious joke. The chirping of spring birds and laughter of children are equally drowned out by the latest track of choice.
Most upsetting of all, the possibility of conversation with someone disappears in favour of a blank stare. After all, why talk to the stranger in the check-out line about the weather if you have a sleek jukebox with 10,000 of your favourite tunes ready to serenade you through the day’s errands?
But it’s these encounters with people we don’t know and might never get to know that build our sense of community. Eye contact and a quick “good morning” in passing warms the public space and forces us to all be a little more human.
This is not to suggest that the iPod will single-handedly destroy social interaction as we know it. The first portable personal stereo — the Sony Walkman — was introduced to North America in 1980, and commuters still managed to talk to each other about the buses being late. But the new tools are designed to help us zone out. Combined with fierce marketing, they have made cocooning ourselves from the outside world easier, and a lot more cool.
The iPod, with endless customizable options, has taken individualism to a new level. And while it’s a whole lot of fun, the growing refusal to break out of our bubbles cannot be tolerated. People must take it upon themselves to unplug once in a while and take note of the world around them. They must say hello to strangers, eavesdrop and be present in our community — no white strings attached.