Walkman Effect - Urban Strategy

Urban Strategy

The appeal of personal experience management seems to be strongest in cities. As Hosokawa puts it, "To think about is to reflect on the urban itself: alkman as urban strategy, as urban sonic/musical device." The very nature of an urban environment is such that potential for chance encounters and unpredictable human actions are constant. Whereas your attention is fair game while simply walking down the street, riding on the subway, or sitting on a bench to rest, when you do the same activities while listening to music, you appear busy and fully engaged already, making any attempt at communication effectively an interruption. Those who might otherwise be willing to interrupt may be further deterred from interaction by the fact that there’s a good chance they won’t even be heard, rendering their effort futile or worse--embarrassing. Even if they are heard, it’s easy for you to act as if they weren’t. Headphones enable listeners to float through public areas in a protective bubble, actively tuning in or out who or what they want. Awkward exchanges with acquaintances are less obligational, panhandlers are less likely to bother you, and the cacophony of traffic can be subdued by a pop song.

One specific effect noted by both Patton and Bull is what Bull calls "auditized looking," the ability of those listening to a personal stereo to make or escape eye contact with others in ways they wouldn't otherwise. Traditional messages carried by eye contact are to some extent dissolved by the music's protective bubble, the listener seen as unavailable.