iPod Phenomena :
There is a developing subculture accompanying the iPod as it infiltrates society. A handful of people even fear that the extreme devotion people feel towards their iPod is very cult-like. Here’s is a brief summary of iPod phenomena that are rapidly gaining popularity
Do The Shuffle: Although the “music shuffle” is not a new concept, the iPod takes it to a new, transcendent level. According to Bull, about 25% of all iPod users use this function with frequency, deeming it the new way to listen to music (Kahney 21). With the capability to hold up to 15,000 songs, the iPod shuffles all types of audio files, from all different genres, and juxtaposes them creating an incredible mix tape. It reintroduces people to lost tunes, and prompts people to think of their music in a completely different light. Alex Ross, music critic for the New Yorker feels, “there is something thrilling about setting the player on Shuffle and letting it decide what to play next…the little machine often goes crashing through barriers of style in ways that change how I listen” (Kahney 20).
iPod jacking: With this, listeners plug into a stranger’s iPod and listen to their music for 30 seconds or so, occasionally finding new artists and genres of music to listen to. Software executive, Steve Crandell describes his experience with an animated account of his first time when he was “boldly approached by another iPod user, a 30ish woman bopping enthusiastically to some high-energy tune.” "It's very strange," he said. "It's almost like you're being a DJ for the other person.... It's very gratifying if you see someone dancing around to the music you're listening to. It's a great feeling to see other people enjoying your music" (Kahney-Wired).
podcasting: “Want to listen to your favorite radio shows and audio programs anytime? Just subscribe to the podcasts you want and iTunes takes care of the rest. Updates occur automatically. New episodes appear like magic. Podcasts sync to your iPod as soon as you dock it. Fast. Easy. Free. Podcasts on iTunes” (www.apple.com/itunes/podcasts). Podcasts have the potential to allow for a larger exchange of ideas, opinions and information as they act as a democratizing agent for the computer-literate society.
sharing music: “Just by clicking the 'Share My Music' checkbox in the Sharing panel of the iTunes Preferences dialog, you can let anyone in the house listen to your music on another Mac or PC. As if by magic, the music just shows up in their copy of iTunes” (www.apple.com/itunes/share). This feature allows people to hear what the people around them are listening to, thereby holding the potential to make new bonds between people or create hostility between listeners of different genres.
playlist parties/mp3J: A new trend is sweeping the hottest dance clubs off their feet. It’s the rise of the mp3J, the newest DJ who plays music off of their personal collection of mp3s, fashionably stored on their iPods. While in some clubs DJs are simply using iPods as a modern turntable, other clubs are modeling themselves after “open mike nights” giving clubbers the opportunity to spin their own favorite tunes off of their iPod. (Kahney)
mobile clubbing: Native to London, and occuring few places elsewhere (for now at least), mobile clubbing is a trend where people gather in public places at a specific time to dance to their own music via their iPods. Sporting their white headphones, people rock out to their own, presumably drastically different styles of music in the same area without making a sound to bystanders. (Kahney)
iProposal: Some people enlist the ability to personalize iPods to serve as an expensive holiday card sending warm wishes, a trendy gift to congratulate someone, or even…a wedding proposal. In the book The Cult of iPod, there is even a picture of the iPod a gentleman from Norway had engraved with his special proposition. She said yes. (Kahney)
playlistism: Coined by students at Wesleyan University, the term playlistism has come to mean, “discrimination not based on race, sex, or religion, but on someone’s terrible taste in music, as revealed by their iTunes music library” (Kahney 130). By looking at someone’s shared music library, others are able to gain new perspective and insight into the music collection owner’s personality and style. Do note that playlistism does not only occur amongst college students. It is prevalent in the work force as well. According to a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology and the Palo Alto Research Center, “when co-workers share playlists on office networks, they're more concerned with the image a cubicle-mate might draw from seeing, say, N'Sync or MC Hammer next to your name than the fuzzy feeling they might get from a tearful Celine Dion ballad you've given them access to” (Sacks). I have my doubts that this is what the folks at Apple had in mind when they developed the sharing feature in iTunes.
iPod accessories: The popularity of the iPod has spurned a whole market of accessories. While this does not sound like a crazy concept, some people are taking it to creative, but arguably extreme levels. Take for instance the website www.iattire.net. On that site you may purchase a hand made Halloween costume for your iPod at the price of $40 per outfit. Other interesting accessories include sex toys that change vibration tempo according the music playing on your iPod and robotic dogs that you can plug into your iPod and watch dance in time with your tunes. (www.audi-oh.com)
iEttiquette: An entirely new set of rules revolving around iPod use have been developed. Here’s a sample of the rules as stated by the folks at Apple and Alex Halavais, a professor at State University of New York at Buffalo:
• It's fine to interrupt a co-worker who's wearing ear buds. That was established decades ago when Walkmans were popular (Halavais).
• You shouldn't be offended if iPeople listen to their music instead of you because it's not about you. They think of it as 'I'm listening to my own soundtrack (Halavais).
• People with plugs in will speak to you if you greet them first (Halavias).
• You should take out both earphones when at a job interview, one when you’re buying groceries, and you have no obligation to remove them at all if you are visting the inlaws (Apple).

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