Ian Taylor
Mind Over Mass Media-Music
In the article Mind Over Mass Media Steven Pinker talks about how technology has advanced to allow humans to retain more information. He says that mass media has made it especially easy to gather information more efficiently. He also talks about how this technological advancement and how it is changing humans. He says that humans have learned the ability to sort through information faster and tell what information is most relevant through evolution and advancements in our mental processes.
There is no doubt that humans mental processes have changed within the last 100 years. Not only that but the way we search for information and entertainment have also changed. With my group we decided that a good question to ask would be how has Itunes, smart devices and Apple products changed the way humans listen to and purchase music and how is it a benefit.
Humans have changed the way they listen to music from records in 1925, to cassettes in 1962, to CD's in 1982, and finally the Ipod in 2001. The way we purchase our music and the way we listen to our music has changed significantly in the last 100 years. In an Apple ad Jacob Ganz states “Over and over, technology has changed both the way we record sound and the way we listen to it.” (Ganz). Apple is a corporate giant who owns Itunes and posses complete control over the manufacture Ipods and Iphones.
Yet how is this technological advancement a benefit for humans? The answer is convenience. Itunes allows the customer to buy unlimited music from the comfort of their home. On top of being able to purchase hundreds of thousands of songs from your computer, consumers can always keep a purchased song in their own personal Itunes library. Itunes has eliminated the need to have multiple CD's because now users can play hundreds of songs by using their smart device. On top of convenience these devices are affordable and have large storage capacities. “The company will never tell, but the 2012 iPod nano, available only in a 16GB capacity for $149.” (Frakes). A 149$ is a good deal considering how many CD's you would have to purchase to be able to have the same music library as you do on your Itunes account.
This research has helped my understanding of the article because previously I hadn't considered what it was like without Apple products. I hadn't thought about the inconvenience of CD's and previous technology and how that affected consumers. To answer my question advancements in musical technology has changed the way we listen and purchase music and benefits the consumer by offering convenience and affordability.
Ganz, Jacob. "What 'Mastered For ITunes' Really Means." NPR. NPR, 5 Mar. 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
Frakes, Dan. "Review: IPod Nano (7th Generation) Combines the Best of Its Predecessors." Macworld. Macworld, n.d. Web. 11 Nov. 2014
Pinker, Steven. "Mind Over Mass Media." Norton Publishing, 2012. Web. 11 Nov. 2014.
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