DECEMBER 18, 2010
This year for British Literature, I had to respond to a prompt. For some reason, this prompt really interested me. I love to listen to music. I find it to be a great way to escape. So, when my teacher gave me this prompt (below) I took interest in giving a good and thorough answer…
Many teens and young adults have personal music players, such as MP3s, that allow them to take their favorite music with them wherever they go. Such devices require earbuds, and users can often be seen with at least one earbud firmly in place, listening to music as they go about their daily business. Some critics of these music players, however, argue that users tend to be isolated in the world of their music. Users, these critics say, do not really pay attention to what is going on around them; and they behave rudely when they carry on conversations with others while wearing at least one earbud.
Do personal music players such as MP3s isolate their users and hamper social interaction? Should such devices be set aside in some situations to promote social interaction and even safety?
There are extremes to every side of the criticism. The teenagers that these “critics” see are the extremities in the current generation. And the critics who judged the teens are often “old-school,” were they didn’t have any technologies to “plug into” in there younger days.
If you were to look at the extremities of the teens, they do always seem to have their headphones in. But they also always seem to be texting, and if the older generations were to get serious about their criticism, then they should also complain about the teen’s phones, music, and social networks (such as Facebook).
However, there are many teens and young adults that are not lost in the world of their music. They may listen to music occasionally, text their friends to make plans, and post photos for their families on Facebook. Do these teens seem worthy of negative criticism?