January 30, 2014, by Eve

Ipods: A Social Pest?

With the start of the new term comes new term resolutions: this is the term I work harder; this is the term I go to the gym; this is the term I stop buying salt and sweet popcorn. Resolutions give us a refreshing sense of satisfaction and aspiration pride. Even if we know, somewhere in the shady parts of our mind, that they might not happen it only takes the smallest notion that they might gives us that warm, confident glow.

One of my resolutions was to walk to Uni more. It’s really not that far but last term I seemed to end up taking the bus so much, rushing to Uni for Impact meetings and quick coffee catch-ups.

But those days of the warm, sweaty bus are over – I now embrace the fiercely cold wind and spitting rain with a determined trudge to the beat of ‘this is good for you. This is good for you’. And I’ve been doing superbly – I’ve saved £8 already!

Yes, it’s only four days into the new term but I’m feeling good, I’ve got the glow.

A significant motivator in my newfound locomotive goals, the inspirational coach one could call her, is my ipod. Yes, I realise this is no ground breaking invention – it’s a familiar, staple part of the student environment, along with kettles and condoms.

But the ipod has some downfalls, which I have noted during my Uni-walks, most of which revolve around socially-concerned problems. The ipod has a dangerous numbing quality, cars and vans slide passed and everything outside the music has an unreal quality as you float along. This makes the likelihood of certain obstacle-themed mistakes even higher – in plain speak, I walked into a tree and keep getting smacked by overhanging branches.

Furthermore, ipodary has a rather embarrassing influence over various body parts: a twitching of the face, in a half-conscious attempt to mutter lyrics; an unstoppable tapping of fingers or an involuntary, obsessive nodding of the head; a tendency to walk with a rhythmic swagger or else to move in slow motion. How does one retain control over your walking style when ‘The Final Countdown’ or ‘It’s Raining Men’ are blearing, seemly, from the world around you? (Insert cooler music later).

Lastly, the feeling that you’re in a film is irresistible. You seem to forget the people around you are not paid extras in your Life Story and you have to pinch yourself to stop winking at that cute guy walking past – this is not a cinematic introduction, you’re not going to hook up at the end of the movie, he’s just a stranger who thinks you look ridiculous. But – come on – I challenge anyone to walk across the Downs, listening to ‘Let it Go’, and not end up running up the hillside, arms out spread.

Ipods are something to be taken very seriously – they have such a profound influence over the public presentation of ourselves. We must be careful not to be seduced by their power.

That’s not to say we can’t dance and twitch in the safety of our own houses. In fact, I’m a bundle of rhythmic taps and head jerks as I write this – no wonder I kept making typos.

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