Quite a long time ago I was sitting in a bus when someone wearing headphones sat besides me. The music emanating from those headphones was so incredibly loud that it hurt my ears. I'm not kidding nor exaggerating. It was literally uncomfortable sitting there because of how loud the music was. Music coming from headphones worn by someone else... I can only imagine how loud the music was for that guy. Either he was half-deaf, or he currently is, of that I'm quite certain.
I always disliked people listening to music with headphones at public places. They put themselves in danger first of all. If for example a car approaches from behind, they can't hear it. And the most annoying thing is if you ever need to speak to such a person.
Recently I got thinking that I don't remember seeing such people anymore. Quite literally. The more I try to remember when was the last time I saw someone wearing headphones in a public place to listen to music, the more convinced I become that it has been quite a long time. Something like 20 years ago it was very common, nowadays I pretty much never see it, anywhere. Not on the streets, not aboard public transport, nowhere.
I started wondering why that is. What has changed? Then the most probable cause dawned on me:
Smartphones.
I believe that people aren't listening to music in public places because smartphones have replaced the entertainment and distraction value that it brought. It was never really about the music, it was always about the entertainment. 20+ years ago there was very little entertainment and distraction you could have when you were out there, but now a smartphone provides you as much of it as you want, and even more. And they don't even listen to music with their smartphones, they just do all kinds of other stuff. I strongly believe this is the direct explanation why almost nobody is walking around with headphones blasting music anymore.
And when you start paying attention to people around you, it's quite sad.
I was recently at a train station waiting for a train, when I started paying attention to the other people there. Counted about 20-30 people in total. Only two of them weren't staring at a smartphone. Two.
The numbers weren't any better in the train. Nor are they really much better elsewhere either. In buses, in restaurants... anywhere where people sit, they are glued to their smartphones. They only see their phone's screen and they aren't aware of anything else around them. In the train, for example, absolutely stunning rural landscapes go by... and nobody is looking at it. They are hunched down, staring at their phones. Almost every single one of them.
20 years ago when people were eg. dining at a restaurant, or traveling in public transport, they would have conversations with each other, they would socialize. Nowadays they just stare at a screen.
They are like zombies. It's not healthy.
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