Listen Up

40 years ago the Walkman was introduced. People could finally listen to the music they liked wherever they went with a set of headphones. Then came the portable CD player, mp3 player, iPod, Zune (hahahaha nice try Bill Gates), and of course today practically everyone owns a smartphone. So in 2019, everyone in the developed world is capable of listening to music at home, at school, at work, on a night out and any time in between. This is a super recent change in our culture! It used to be that you could only listen to music playing on the radio or on MTV (apparently there used to be music on MTV??). And the most significant thing about how things used to be is that you couldn’t really choose what was playing. There’s some really relevant stuff to consider here so let me just ask the question. How does suddenly having the choice of music and the ability to listen to it 24/7 affect our perspective?

When I talk to my parents’ generation about music, it seems like they all know and love the same songs. Bands like Queen and the Beatles used to drive culture on a universal scale. Young people across western culture and beyond chanted the same words like a mantra for that entire generation. Now obviously the modern youth has some songs and artists that everyone knows. Here’s where today is different though: no one is forcing you to listen. As much as everyone knows the name Beyoncé and can probably name some of her songs, her music doesn’t drive culture in that same way. Because if there’s something else you prefer, that’s what you’ll listen to instead. No questions asked. Everyone always has their choice of music when listening alone. And people generally listen to music to feel good right? So 10/10 times, you’ll choose the song that matches your own vibe. You’ll choose the song whose lyrics you like the most. You’ll choose the song that is the most…you. These voices in our ear play for hours a day in a positive feedback loop, affirming and re-affirming our own thoughts and feelings back to us.

Did I lose you? Think of it this way. I always joke about how listening to Drake a lot makes a person 30% cockier on average. And I don’t mean “Marvin’s Room” Drake, obviously. But huge Drake fans seem to me like they mostly already carried that cocky-is-good attitude in the first place. That’s what makes his music appeal to them. And then listening to his songs 10 or 20 times a day constantly reinforces those same qualities.

Without a doubt, something about music makes the words you hear seem more profound than regular speech would be. Everybody knows that. And even if you don’t fully agree with all the lyrics, the vibe will persist its way into your brain regardless. Listen to one voice often enough and it becomes a case of classical conditioning. The same way that Fox News or CNN can brainwash you into embracing an entire ideology, singers and rappers have the ability to impose their own narrative onto you.

Listen. My point isn’t that any of this is necessarily a bad thing. It can actually be a really good thing. I seriously tell people that discovering Bad Bunny changed my entire outlook on life for the better. **if you’re still sleeping on Bad Bunny, go listen** Anyway my only message here is to be conscious of the impact your playlist has on your day to day attitude. If you’re already going to listen to music for hours a day, choose a voice with the power to push you in the right direction.

Filip, again.