Walking through the hallway, sitting in a boring class, enjoying a moment of free time in the middle of the school day— in any brief moment of silence or boredom— what is it that we instinctively reach for? Our AirPods.
Nathanael Baldwin invented the first headphones in 1935, though they never gained much traction. From Baldwin’s invention came the first headphones for personal use— the Beyerdynamic DT48. Those headphones evolved to the Koss SP3, the first stereo headphones, followed by the Koss Beatlephones, the first electrostatic headphones, the Sony Walkman, a portable stereo player, the Bose QC1, which were the first noise-canceling headphones, the Apple iPod with the first earbud design, and after many more evolutions, the AirPods we all know and love (HeadphoneZone).
If headphones have been around for almost 100 years— in one form or another— what can possibly be the issue with them? Technology evolves, does it not? My specific problem with AirPods, however, is their ability—which has been perfected in the recent years—to block the world out. Case in point, has it not become a universally acknowledged fact that earbuds in someone’s ears mean, “don’t talk to me?” When has anyone ever put in headphones in the hopes of striking up a conversation?
Now maybe someone reading this is laughing and shaking their head saying, “That’s the whole point! I wear my AirPods because I don’t want to be bothered by anyone or anything.” I am not blind to this perspective and, I do admit, there have been many times where I, too, have put in my AirPods not wanting to engage in conversations or because I would much rather listen to whatever music or podcast I have playing. Although I do sympathize with the pro-AirPod view, I do think that the prevalence of AirPods in society should be seen as a vice not a virtue.
It is also important to point out that the headphones of today are nothing like the headphones of twenty years ago. AirPods are not only wireless, making them more portable and discreet than ever before, but also noise-canceling for newer models. Listening to music through a Walkman tape player and through AirPods are two very different things. For starters, a Walkman is big and bulky, making it easy to see when a person is listening to music or not. AirPods are barely visible when worn. Everyone has probably had the experience of being in a full-fledged conversation with someone, only to then realize that they were secretly wearing AirPods, probably more in tune with whatever they were listening to than anything you actually said. AirPods are different from the headphones of the past. They close you off from conversations and alienate anyone trying to talk to you.
Author and speaker Vanessa Van Edwards voices similar concerns about AirPods: “AirPods are killing friendship. AirPods are going to ruin our interpersonal interactions…[Without AirPods] It was so much easier to have those tiny micro moments of connection.” I think this gets to the core of the issue—loss of connection.
As technology becomes more advanced and more successful in drawing us in, it is no surprise that loneliness becomes more prevalent in society. According to Psychiatry.org, 30% of young people reported feeling lonely every day to several days a week. 50% of people also reported finding distractions, such as TV or social media, when feeling lonely, compared to 38% who would reach out to a family member or friend. Technology has become our go-to when feeling sad, lonely, tired, bored, or numb. Why is finding a distraction our first thought? Why have we put technology over people?
The answer is simple. It’s easier to lock yourself up in your own world with AirPods, than going out into the world—sometimes in silence or sometimes engaging in thought-provoking conversations. It’s easier to be constantly stimulated every second of every day, than to experience a brief moment of boredom. It is easier to lock ourselves up in our own minds than to go out into the world without our AirPods in our ears.
Choosing people over technology can be hard. Technology is simple, people are complex. Looking back at your life, however, which will you find more enriching and fulfilling? The simplicity of scrolling or the complexity of conversations? Life is what happens when you take your AirPods out.