iCame, iSaw, iConquered, iPod

Young Adult Literature and Multimedia—Resources

Came, iSaw, iConquered iPod

Mary Schwander

RDGED 704: Young Adult Literature in the Reading Program
October 12, 2007
iCame, iSaw, iConquered iPod

Instant. Rapid. Unlimited. Free. That is the way today's teens have come to expect their music. And once they have accessed their music, they customize it into their own playlists to listen anytime, anywhere and in any order they choose. What a drastic shift from my generation who, as teens, had to somehow manage to get to the record store, buy the album and return home only to play it on our record player in the order determined by the record producer. Indeed, in this age of the Internet and cell phone technology, young adults are not only accustom to multitasking and multi-stimuli, but they depend on these technical tools to entertain them, educate them and basically get them through their daily routine.
According to a New York Times article published this past summer, whereas album purchases have decreased, the download of digital music tracks have increased by fifty percent from one year ago (2007, July 5). One reason for this is the fact that consumers can just purchase the individual tracks they like, rather than waste their money (and time!) on unwanted tracks. And speaking of wasting money, why bother? With peer-to-peer (p2p) networking sites such as Kazaa and Limewire, many consumers, particularly teens, opt to obtain their music by sharing with one another online. In fact, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project, eighty percent of high school and college students are not concerned over copyright laws of downloaded music (Carlson, 2003). I can verify these findings with students at my high school where I am the library media specialist. Most I've spoken to are not only unconcerned with copyright, they feel quite adamant that this should be their right to share their music with one another. "Musicians are rich enough," quipped one student. Their attitude towards downloading music is much like their attitude towards plagiarism: they see little wrong with sharing information no matter how it is obtained.

To its credit, Apple's iTunes has done much to help the music industry by enticing consumers to use its easy, multi-functional online music store. Launched in April of 2003, music lovers can browse by interest, share playlists by themes and see what their favorite stars are listening to. In addition, iTunes has recently added on a "mini-store" which sends users suggestions of music based on the music files which are stored on their computer. Whereas many adults may be bothered by this tracking of personal information, it appears that teens appreciate the service. "There is definitely a higher tolerance for it the younger you are," a market researcher observed. Younger folks like the ability to "discover and find new music, and the only way for them to do that is a recommendation engine" (Boudreau, 2006). Most recently, the band Radiohead allowed consumers to make a choice as to how much they would pay for their new album (Regan, 2007). Although some view this as a revolution in that it “plays to the core strength of the Internet -choice”, others find that it could do damage to music companies. While it proved to be a lucrative move for Radiohead, lesser known artists certainly won’t have the same success.

Not only has Apple dominated the industry of online music stores, but is the front-runner of mp3 players with its extremely popular line of iPods. In fact, the word iPod has come to be the "proprietary eponym" of mp3 players much like Kleenex is to tissues (Kahney, 2005). With a little bit of accessorizing, an iPod can be many things in addition to just a replacement for the "walkman". It can be a stereo, an alarm clock and even a running coach (thanks to Nike+). Its versatility allows you to listen by song, artist, album or a customized playlist. Too many choices to make a decision? Relax and let the iPod choose the songs for you by using the "shuffle" mode. It is no surprise that a recent Teen Holiday Survey found that mp3 players were the number one item wanted by teens (Starkman, 2007). iPods and mp3 players have become to teenagers what many librarians and teachers had hoped books could be: an escape and reliever of stress. An eighth-grader who was surveyed claimed that she puts on her iPod when she wants to be isolated and escape from problems. "It can change your mood," she claims. "Homework stress, family problems, if you're annoyed with your parents" are all reasons she chooses to tune into her music (Starkman, 2007).

According to Cult of the iPod (Kahney, 2005), this phenomena of "iPodHeads" concerns a lot of critics. "The iPod is antisocial, they cry" (p. 143). But, as Kahney continues, is it the iPod that is creating the antisocialism or is it simply a product of today's culture? Technology such as the Internet, the iPod and the cellphone are interpreted by many adults as tools which cut off our children from the people around them. True to some extent: but at the same time kids use these tools as a way of communicating. MySpace, shared playlists, texting - these are all devices which are becoming an extension of teenagers. Professor of marketing, Markus Giesler, brands this new persona as "transcendent cyborgs" (Crawford, 2005). They are "highly connected, technically and socially" and their iPods are so much a part of them that they consider them "body extensions."

So what does this all mean to educators? Are iPods and downloaded music the doom to learning and reading, or can they be used as classroom tools? Technology specialist, Darren Draper, challenges educators to do just that in his powerful video, "Pay Attention" which can be found on YouTube as well as the Jordan School District website. "Since your students already know how to use this technology, why aren't you using it to teach?" he asks. Many classrooms are already using mp3 players to listen to a variety of educational podcasts, but how many are implementing what students see as the primary use of mp3 players - music? A wonderful example of this was from my son's middle school English teacher a couple of years ago. The class read My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George and was asked to come up with a playlist of five songs which represent their interpretation of the novel. Similarly, playlists could be created to supplement a history lesson or to demonstrate the cultural richness of a particular country. The legal issues over downloaded music can also be used in classroom settings. There are many books and articles on the ethics of sharing copyrighted music which can be the basis for meaningful debates and discussions. And what about the social implications of iTunes? A clear correlation can be made between the iTunes' mini-store and the novel, Feed by M.T. Anderson: both involve invasion of personal information for the purpose of marketing. The most important thing is to pay attention to where our students are headed and to the digital tools and resources which will be part of their future lives and careers. We cannot expect our students to survive, let alone thrive, if we cut them off from the tools which have become an important extension of themselves and of their culture.

References

Boudreau, John.(Jan 13, 2006). New iTunes Tracks All Music on Computer. San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, CA). Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center. Thomson Gale. New Hope-Solebury High School Library.

Carlson, S. (2003, August 15). 80 percent of students who download music don't think about copyright, a study finds. Chronicle of Higher Education, 49(49), A34. Retirieved October 4, 2007, from Teacher reference Center database.

Crawford, W. (2005, May). The coming of the borgs. EContent, 28(5), 43-43. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Professional Development Collection database.

Digital purchases rise as album sales fall. (2007, July 5). New York Times, p. pC4(L). Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Newspaper Source database.

Draper, D. (2007). Pay Attention. In T4 - Jordan School District. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from http://t4.jordan.k12.ut.us/t4/content/view/221/35/.

Kahney, L. (2005). The cult of ipod. San Francisco: No Starch Press.

Regan, Tom. (2007, October 13). Fans Take Up Radiohead on Pay-What-You-Like Offer. NPR Retrieved October 12, 2007 from http://www.npr.org/blogs/news/2007/10/fans_take_up_radiohead_on_payw_1.html.

Starkman, N. (2007, March). LEAVE ME ALONE…I'M SOCIALIZING. T H E Journal, 34(3), 32-38. Retrieved October 6, 2007, from Teacher Reference Center database.