Sullivan: "We have retreated into the iWorld"

I consider myself a fan of Andrew Sullivan's (which is why, despite his more sporadic blogging of late, he sits near the top of my blogroll), but something irked me about his column of the 20th on what Glenn Reynolds refers to as "the cult of the iPod." Here's a quote:

Andrew Sullivan - February 20th, 2005

Walk through any airport in the United States these days and you will see person after person gliding through the social ether as if on autopilot. Get on a subway and you’re surrounded by a bunch of Stepford commuters staring into mid-space as if anaesthetised by technology. Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t overhear, don’t observe. Just tune in and tune out.

It wouldn’t be so worrying if it weren’t part of something even bigger. Americans are beginning to narrow their lives.

Perhaps we are; but I don't think the iPod is inherently part of it. Who hasn't heard the stories about iPod users approaching each other to ask what the other is listening? Some people even report temporarily trading with total strangers, just to get a feel for what someone else is listening to. And, as an iPod owner myself, I've lost count of how many times I've handed it to a friend saying "you have to hear this song."

Andrew Sullivan - February 20th, 2005

Music was once the preserve of the living room or the concert hall. It was sometimes solitary but it was primarily a shared experience, something that brought people together, gave them the comfort of knowing that others too understood the pleasure of a Brahms symphony or that Beatles album.

This is true, but it also applies to video tapes and DVDs. And, like those, it can go either way. You can use DVDs to catch a flick without leaving the house, but you can also have friends over to watch it with you. It's all in how you use it.

I like to think technology doesn't usually cause problems, but tends to magnify the ones we already have. There is a danger in over-specialization, where we figure out what we like and never venture beyond our self-imposed limitations. We never willingly broaden our horizons.

At the same time, that specialization carries with it a greater connection when we come across someone who shares the same affinities and interests. In a world where anyone can listen to any song at any time, it's that much more striking when someone else is marching to the beat of the same drum solo.

» February 25th, 2005

posted @ 10:26 AM in Technology

Calendar

More Entries

»	Selective Forgiveness
»	"The Capacity to Be Outraged"
»	Busting McCain Memes
»	The Kodak Theatre Debate
»	Hugh Hewitt Didn't Major in Mathematics
»	The California Debate
»	Reflections on the Rallies
»	The Ironic Prescience of Matchbox 20
»	McCain Wins Florida
»	The Case for McCain