Mobile Media & Social Computing

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CONTROL PUBLIC SPACES THROUGH MUSIC

Control public spaces trough music Portable music players in public transportation

Louise Jensen

Digital Media and Design program

It-Universitety of Copenhagen, Denmark

[email protected]

Abstract

Everyday a large amount of passengers uses a portable

music device as they move through the city in public

transportation. Looking in a historical perspective this

was not always an option but the technological

development has changed the music consumption and

opened up new possibilities. The portable music devices

in public transportation presents the ability to control

interaction with the surroundings, organize the self,

stage self-presentation, create personal experiences

through urban storytelling and reconfigure relationships

to the urban environment.

Keywords-component; Portable music device, music,

reconfiguration, social interaction, experiences

a. 1. INTRODUCTION

Music plays a big part of our lives and it has been for

thousands and thousands of years. But it is of course

especially with the ability to record and later replay sound, it

really was possible to make music fully integrated part of

everyday life [1]. Digital personal music technologies today

offer the conveniences for users to carry their entire music

collection around the city. The possibility to listen to music

when ever and wherever one want has dominated the spaces of

public transportations. When I was using the Metro, I noticed

that the majority of passengers were listening to music with

their earphones. My interest of consuming music in the public

spaces started actually started with a slightly irritation of

mostly teenagers that play, in my opinion, inappropriate loud

music through cell phones speakers. My lacking

understanding of this cultural phenomenon created a curiosity

to instigate this topic further.

In the process of making the video in this course, my group

and I made few empirical observations in metros, trains and

busses that expanded my perspective. At the same time I

began to discover theory within listen to music in public

spaces. I found it interesting how theoreticians described users

is enables to preserve a sense of private space in public space,

where new passengers are constantly getting on and off. This

means that there is constantly new people and surroundings

that passengers have to relate to.

My thesis is that portable music enables passengers to

personal control spaces and shapes their personal experiences,

which is supported by various theoreticians. My focus in the

analysis is exactly how mp3 player can control spaces in

public transportation and how mp3 player allows users to

create an alternative aesthetic experience in contrast to the

trivial transportation. In order to understand this present

cultural phenomenon, I would argue that it one must

understand the development of the portable music device. I

will therefore shortly place the mp3 player into a historical

and contemporary context in order to understand the field of

portable music in public spaces. This will contribute to an

understanding of how users adapt technology as much as

technology is affected by the consumption. This provides a

basis for answering my research question.

b. RESEARCH QUESTION

How does portable music player enable passengers to

control personal spaces and shape an alternative

experience?

c. METHOD & THEORY

Through a discourse analysis I will investigate the research

question. I choose not to conduct empirical fieldwork, as there

is a large amount of exiting literature to investigate. Even

though conducting my empirical data could be insightful,

arguments will be based on theory and research that the

chosen theoreticians have conducted. In the process of

creating the video, I have though executed few small interview

and observations with mp3 player users passing my way, in

order to get a basic understand of the field.

Currently discussions of portable music player in they city is

dominated by Michael Bull. Miriam Simun and David Beer

are also two important theoreticians within the subject and

their contribution is of high importance. Bull has conducted

great empirical work about how people incorporate these

devices into their everyday routines. In addition the scholarly

sources, I have also used Castells, Campbell and Katz &

Sugyiama to support some of the arguments that concerns

aspects connected to listen to music in public spaces, such as

self-presentation and appropriation.

d. HISTORICAL AND CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT

A. Previously portable music players

The Fm-radio was the first sensation within portable aural

experiences but the signal depended on the location and it

changed as one moved [20]. With gramophones users was

enabled to choose personal music and with shift to cassette

boom boxes made it easier to carry the technology around the

city. Compared to present mp3 player they where heavy to

carry, only played music in the already decided order and most

important, the music blasted into the entire soundscape, which

forced people in the surroundings to listen to users taste in

music [8].

It was first when Sony launched their Walkman, that music

truly became a personal and mobile stereo. The Walkman

thereby revolutionized the experience of listen to music in

public spaces. Music was now personal and portable in more

adaptive and pleasant way [11]. Previous generations of

personal stereos were plagued with problems that prevented a

smooth listening experience. The user got interrupted, it had

poor sound quality and one had to carry around bulky tapes

[31]. When music was storied on CD’s it created a need for

new music player technologies whereas the CD boom boxes

and the smaller Discman is a product of. Compared to having

mp3 it was still a source of irritation to carry CD’s around.

The digitalization into mp3 files again meant a need for a new

music player and the mp3 player was brought into production.

Compared to previously devices is a small, almost weightless

and embodied device. The Mp3 player’s strength is that it uses

flash memory for storing MP3 files. The first mp3 player had

limited capacity but the further development of digitalization

resulted in a change in our consumption habits of music in

relation to the capacity (16GB), by making it possible for

users to take their entire music collection everywhere they go

[3]. Now users are not limited to listening to a pre-defined

sequence on a CD or limited by using a Discman with only 50

minutes of music.

The development of the functionalities on the cell phone has

enabled users to listen to the music on their cell phone. This is

convenient as a majority of passengers already carries it with

them everyday. I would argue that this contributes both to

higher music consumption in public space but also a range of

possibilities, as I will discuss later in the paper. In addition to

this Beers statement define precise how important a role the

mp3 player plays:

“The mp3 player is now undoubtedly a significant cultural

icon of the digital age and has become familiar and ordinary

urban technology, a part of an everyday discourse”[2].

B. Modern portable music players

I would argue that the cell phone solves a range of

different needs, but given that the music player

technology is incorporated it solves the same need as the

mp3 player. However, these different music devices

embrace it in different ways. Today, portable music

devices come in all shapes, sizes and functionalities.

When the iPod was introduced in 2001 it changed the

landscape of portable audio players. At this point users

had not experienced music players that was very intuitive,

had a flattering design or was synchronized with users

music collection. The users had been used to another

process when gathering the music (download or buy) and

transferring music to the mp3 device. Even though the

iPod is just a brand of the mp3 player made by Apple, It

has a unique set of features and design qualities that

results in different music consumption compared to the

regular mp3 player.

The way the iPod differentiates mostly from the regular

mp3 player is that iPods uses Apple iTunes (software) to

transfer music to the music devices. Using iTunes one can

store a music library on ones computer, burn music from

CD, make play list, buy music, download podcast or e-

books, see videos, game and small applications (when

supported by the player) and many other features. Apple

has achieved to build a unique service around the physical

product that changes the consumption of the mp3 player

(and generate sale). When using an iPod there are more

features and the music experience is more customermized,

which affects the daily music routines and how the music

is consumed.

Apple have taken advantages of this and incorporated a

music player into the iPhone. As Beer [2] puts it “the

highly publicized iPhone, a device that brings together

mobile music with computing, cell phone and a touch

screen interface”. In relation to this is still trendier to have

an iPod or iPhone compare to a normal mp3-player from

e.g. Sony or Creative. Having a trendy phone is of high

priority for a various teenagers as Katz & Sugyiama [24]

states: “This [third-person-effect] suggest that the mobile

phone, in young people’s discourse, takes on the role of a

fashion accessory that is in great demand as a status

symbol”. This can be transferred to mp3 player. Having

either a trendy mp3 player or cell phone to play music on

is therefore also important in public transportation.

Compare to one of the first cell phone the service and

functionalities has developed intense. Goggin contributes

with “A limitation of first-generation cell phone was not

only the relatively low functionality, large size, and

quality of handset and the stage of evolution of mobile

networks, but also the capabilities of the rest of the

telecommunications network.” [21]. Now almost every

modern cell phone are able to play music either through

speakers or earphones. To my knowledge other phones

cannot compete with the iPhone. Given that the iPhone

have a smoother interface, the connection to Itunes,

functionalities similar to the iPod, I would argue that it is

the best cell phone for listening to music. Cell phones

strengths are being a multimedia; it is convenient only to

have to carry one electronic device. The big difference

between mp3 players a cell phones is that is it more

common play sound trough speakers with a cell phone

compared to the mp3 player, that in most cases only is

able to play music through earphones. This causes that

cell phone is more used device, to play music in pubic

spaces with. Most important compared to mp3, is that cell

phones allow the user to explore content on the wireless

network [20]. The Internet access opens up a range of

possibilities for users to communicate, stage self-

presentation and stream music through services like Ping

or myspace (social network for music). The cell phone has

several other services and functionalities besides from

being a music player, so there is still a big difference

between the consumption of the mp3 player and the cell

phone. In 2007 Beer [5] predicted this “The next step as

mp3 players converge with mobile telephone, will more

than likely see these networked mobile music reproduction

devices allowing access to any online achieve of music

anytime, anywhere”. As Beer predicted the devices

borrows from each other’s functionalities, e.g. the new

iPod can go on the Internet and thereby communicate with

the surroundings, which buries the line between suing cell

phones as music player and mp3 player.

According to Goggin the cell phone and the mp3 player

have in common that they both reconfigured spaces and

social setting [22]. Bull concentrate in his work on the

iPod [8], but as I have argue though the last paragraph the

mp3 player, the mobile phone and the iPod are solving the

same need and the functionalities are merging together. In

the context of controlling spaces it is less important how

the devices differs. I will therefore in the next paragraph

refer to the cell phone, iPod and the mp3 players as one

portable music device, the mp3 player. What is important

is that both devices makes it possible to control spaces. In

addition to this, when I use the term users I refers to users

of these devices.

e. CONTROL SPACES IN PUBLIC

TRANSPORTATION

Discussions of space and spatial boundaries starts often with a

fundamental distinction between the concrete, physical space

and the more devoid of abstract space, not rooted and

geographically localized. It is the mental constructions of

spaces that allow listeners to perceive a private experience,

that I will focus on.

Well, I think I’ve come to the conclusion that overall I fell

pretty out of control in my life”… ”The iPod has given me

some control back”[11].

This quote is from Bull research and is interesting as it reflect

upon the mp3 player as a way to gain control. In the following

I will discuss how users are able control the interactions with

other passengers and shape alternative experiences. I have

categorized my analysis into topics in order to get a better

overview of what portable music devices enables.

A. Symbol of isolation

In public spaces passengers are forced to share and negotiate

spaces. According to Bull the development of the music

technologies has provided possibilities within reconstruction

of the social rather than a separation of spaces [8]. Portable

music devices can thereby be used to control interaction with

other passengers e.g. strangers who want to talk or noisy

mobile conversation. Headphones dangling from the ears

represented a ‘do not disturb’ sign, making it harder for others

to initiate contact with the user. If an unwanted interaction

with others comes in the way, the earphones do not stop it

from occurring, but it provides a shield and a distraction from

the here-and-now surroundings [5]. Whenever users do not

want to be distracted or disruptive from what they are doing,

headphones can be used an as symbol of wanting to be

isolated. In addition to wanting to be isolated to a certain

extent Bull states: “This contradictory desire for privacy and

fear of social isolation is resolved through the use of mobile

sound media.”[9].

B. Private Sound bubbles

According to Bull users seek to gain a “social withdrawal”

from the immediate surroundings by creating private listening

room. Bulls term of this is sound bubbles [8]. He states, “In

iPod culture, representational space is constructed within the

head space of the user through a mediated and privatized

soundscape”[10]. Bull thereby suggests that users attempt to

immerse themselves into a private experience and thereby

escape the public atmosphere. As one of Simuns interviewed

described, rather than ‘switching off,’ listening to her Mp3

player enabled her to ‘switch away’ – to an urban experienced

with her choice of music, transforming the city’s

overwhelming and brutal soundscape into privatized and

enjoyable spaces [32]. Creating private space can also

unwinds and unpacks the users emotions, thus proving a base

for thinking more clearly or lucidly [8]. The personalized

music thereby enables users to channel their thoughts and

leave room for reflexive thinking by creating a ‘cognitive

space’ in which they could successfully inhabit. In relation to

same subject Simun express it very precise “By creating

personalized soundtracks, users configure their emotions,

thoughts and actions – and thereby, the self."[37]. By calling

upon music to gain control over the users perceptions,

thoughts, and conduct, Mp3 enables them to reconfigure their

role within the spaces they navigate in.

C. Sounding out the city

Wanting to avoid noisy and stressful surroundings such as

traffic chaos or alarming sirens, can also be seen an attempt to

control spaces. As Mitchell express it “Dial up a track on your

iPod and your attention is instantly shifted to another place

and time”[28]. Mitchell statement indicates that whether it is

intentional or not, the consequence of using an mp3 player, is

that attention is turned away from the surroundings. In relation

to this Simun states “While the control the Mp3 gives users

does allow them to attend to their musically mediated

environments in an enjoyable way, this very mediation

prevents users’ full participation in urban space - thereby

negating the public nature of this space.“[36]. By adding a

new sound layer, users negotiate with the surrounding about

who owns spaces, as users transform the public spaces into

private sound bubbles [6]. Listening to music allows to a

certain point to escape from unwanted sounds and remove

users from their surroundings. Some users thereby are moving

into the rhythm of the music rather than to the rhythm of the

city [8].

D. Self-realisation & Self presentation

Some passengers use the music to stage a self-representation

with themselves as the only audience. For them it is not

important that others cannot hear the music, because others

opinion do not matter. What is important is that when the user

listening to specific music they feel affiliation to the certain

music culture – thereby shaping their identity with music.

Sound can be seen as a tool for self-realization. Simun support

this reconfiguration of the self with “Mp3 users employ music

to reconfigure time, space and self as they navigate the urban

commute.” [31]. Beer mentions that sound can escape the

listener’s earphones, “If the earphones are loud enough, it may

also be contributing to other people’s experiences through

sound leakage”[5]. This could both be intentional or not. The

first option means that the user do not settle with only

themselves listening to the music, but want others to be a part

of their sound space. This is often constituted through cell

phones speaker function. Here is a culture where it is all about

spreading the sound to its surroundings, thereby signaling a

certain sense of belonging and identity through music taste,

and celebrates a territory defined by how fare the sound can

reach. According Katz & Sugyiama cell phones can like other

fashion items be used to project a sense of identity and self

into the public areas, which can be applied to mp3 player [25].

Using these device to stage a specific image are though not

limited to the visual but is also done through sound. Like there

is unspoken rules about having cell phone conversation in

public transportation, there is also social norms about playing

music.

E. Appropriation

Appropriation is an important aspect of listen to music in

public spaces, as it dominates the aural space at a higher level

and thereby is a more upfront method to control spaces. I will

therefore shortly discuss how unspoken rules are created.

From my perspective it is acceptable to play quiet music with

headphones in public spaces, if it does not disturb other

passengers. Campbell found that tolerance for cell phone use

in public increased after participants became heavier users of

technology. His studies showed that cell phone ownership,

degree of use, and experience with technology can influence

perception and attitudes towards it [17]. As the mp3 player has

some common characteristics discussed before, it will be some

of the same social norms that apply. Our own observation

indicated that more young people used portable music devices

compared to older adult. Based on Campbell thesis, young

people are therefore more tolerant then older adults. It seems

that young users are more tolerant and therefore presumes that

others have the same level of tolerance. Taking this into

consideration it makes sense that it was mostly young users

we observed that was playing loud music in public spaces.

In addition to this, Castells explains how each group member

of different small communities perceives differently what is

social acceptable, which they learn trough a social learning

process [19]. He explains how manners are taught through

experience of how and when a cell phone should be use in

certain situations. Castells also refers to customs as people are

used to hear a mobile ring in almost all situations [12]. Since

the mp3 player has become a common used technology in

public transportation, the majority of passengers are also used

to sound leakage from earphones. Given that it only happens

occasionally that some passengers play music from their cell

phone speakers, other passengers are not used to loud music at

the same level as sound leakage from earphones. Another

aspect of this is also that there is a difference between how

much the sound disturbs and annoys other passengers, which

affect their degree of tolerance. Castells point is that because

of the social learning process each country defines what is

appropriate [12]. After having read web articles about music

in public transportation in London, I quickly realized that this

was also the case between countries like London and

Copenhagen [38].

F. Turn constrained time into leisure

The physical environments that passengers are visiting are

already occupied by spoken words, musical performances,

buildings, movements, text and images [29]. By combining the

city’s expressions with personalized soundtracks the user can

create a new aesthetics and a new story of the traveling time.

Bulls term of sound bubbles is similar to Beer’s term tuning

out, which refers to the movement, the listener takes when one

transfers his auditory attention from the world into a

constructed private sound space [5]. According to him

“Tuning out describes an attempt on the part of the user of

portable music device to rewrite the narratives of the city

toward a preferred set of narratives”[5]. His term differs from

Bull by focusing more on the narrative and tuning out of the

physical immediately place in favor of the virtual [5]. Building

narratives through mp3 player can be perceived as a reaction

against the places that are experienced as uninspiring. Beer

state, “By engaging with the Mp3, users turn their 'constrained

time' into leisure. Transforming, as they describe, their

‘boring’ and ‘stressful’ commutes into times of entertainment

and relaxation”[33]. The transportation time that can be

considered as ‘wasted’ time, gets ‘dressing up’ with music.

Thereby gets the ‘empty time’ turned into pleasurable into

privatized pleasure place. “Mp3 enables users re-configure the

public urban commute as personal spaces of leisure”[35]. The

experience thereby transforms into an “alternative experience

of the city space, a space that is narrativized by musical

soundtrack”[4].

G. Urban storytelling

Bull found in his empirical work that “Common in iPod

accounts of aesthetic experience is making the street mimic the

mood engendered by the music playing on the ipod.”[14]. He

also reports from his studies, that people create special

personalized play lists that fits upcoming events or modes, that

supports the natural scenery, which they find themselves in

[8]. Portable music is thereby both used to support the urban

experience spontaneously and planned. Mp3 thereby presents

an interesting ability to actually engage with the city. It seems

that the music create an auditory frame around the

surroundings, enables users to enhance their experience of the

urban experience and connected them to their specific

location.

When using mental writing to describe the urban story,

Mitchell claims that our surroundings stimulate memories,

emotions and narratives, which is triggered by things that one

see, hear, smell or touch may make one think of something

else. When traveling through the city any element of the

surrounding scene may serve as a link to memories of past

events and distant places, to narratives that one have heard,

and to facts that one have learned [27]. The combination of

these simulations and personal music, can generates a

production of personal impression that is anchored to specific

places or song, which support the engagement with the city.

By combining this with music and the city's dynamic

expressions, users are enabled to get a alternative aesthetic

experience compared to the non-audio experience. According

to Bull this is not accidental: “Aesthetic enhancement is a

central strategy of iPod use”[15].

According to Beer the reconfiguration of the surroundings is

done by prioritizing the content users are being offered [6]. In

addition to this Simun describes how users can change their

perception of the urban experience by “actively use personal

meanings of music to re-configure their understandings,

actions and place in the city”[34]. Users thereby becomes an

active part in the shaping of the urban experiences by

prioritize and adding meaning, which is facilitated by the

portable music device. As a result users construct a sound

space with new meanings of the situation and new aesthetics

of the surroundings. Bull describes this process as a rewriting

of the city's narrative. His study contains several examples of

users who describe how the ordinary journey becomes audio-

visual scenery by mental describing the surroundings in filmic

context [13]. The user thereby becomes creator of the script.

In relation to this one of his informants describes, “I like to

watch people around me and imagine as the characters in a

novel.”[12]. Decorating the regular bus trip with colorful

storytelling offers an alternative experience and can give an

illusion of being in another fascinating space, like an exiting

movie. Mp3 thereby also presents an interesting ability to

create aesthetic experiences.

a. CONCLUSION

Placing the portable music player in a historical context

emphasized how the consumption of music in public spaces

has changed because of new technologies. Compared to

previously music devices the Walkman revolutionized the

music consumption by facilitating personal music in public

spaces. In the contemporary society especially the ipod that

has achieved significant cultural icon by offering unique

features and design qualities that changed the way users

consumed music into a new level. Even though the cell

phones, mp3 player and iPod differentiates in some

technological areas, their functionalities are merging together

and they are thereby all able to solve a need for listen to music

in public transportation.

The portable music enables different ways of controlling the

spaces in public transportation. Users are enabled to symbolize

to the surroundings through the mp3 player that they do not

want to be disturbed. Portable music devices also presents an

ability to sound out the city by overlaying an audio layer and

thereby creates private sound bubbles that leave room for

reflective thinking. It also enables to stage a self-presentation

through a certain taste in music that represents a belonging to

a certain social group. This could both in honor of themselves

or to the surroundings. If the user wants others to be a part of

the sound space, there is a set of social manners that apply,

which is taught through a social learning process.

By mental describing the surroundings in a narrative context

and combining the personal music with expressions of the

city, a foundation for enriched and aesthetic enhanced

experience is offered. It presents a possibility for the user to

engage with the city and connect to the specific location.

Wasted transportation time is thereby turned into pleasurable

leisure.

To summarize, “By calling upon music’s power as a

prescriber of social action, users shape experience, organize

the self, and reconfigure their relationships to the urban

environment” [31].

b. PERSPECTIVES

The mp3 player is far from being an effective tool for control

spaces as there are several of elements to take into

consideration in the dynamic and constantly changing

environment. Even though users can try not to be infiltrated in

others spaces total exclusion is not possible. It is instead co-

exiting mental spaces that is being experience simultaneously

with the existing surroundings. The users still remain a

physical and concrete part of the public space and will have to

relate to the surroundings. One can also question if it is a

positive ability that the mp3 players offer isolation to a certain

point.

Finally one could perceive sound bubbles and urban

storytelling as overanalyzing the transportation experience. I

would argue that various people do not think of the mentioned

ways to control spaces or creating experiences, and that they

probably just want to be entertained or let wasted

transportation time be empty transportation time.

c. REFERENCES

1. Beer, David, “Tune out: Music, soundscapes and the

urban mise-en-scène”, Information, Communication &

Society (York: St John University, 2007)

2. Beer, Tune out, 847


4. Beer, Tune out, 861-862




8. Bull, Michael, Sound Moves: iPod Culture and Urban

Experience

(New York: Routledge, 2008)

9. Bull, Sound moves, 5







16. Campbell, Scott W. "Perceptions of mobile phones in

college classrooms” (Kansas: Communication

Education, 2006)

17. Campbell, "Perceptions of mobile phones in college

classrooms, 282

18. Castells, Manuel et. al., Wireless communication and

global development", Mobile communication and

society: a global perspective (London: Mit Press:

2007)

19. Castells, Wireless communication and global

development, 277

20. Goggin, Gerard, Making voice portable: The early

history of the cell phone" (New York:Routledge,

2006)

21. Goggin, Making voice portable, 31

22. Goggin, Making voice portable, 36

23. Katz, James E. and Satomi Sugiyama, Mobile phones

as fashion statements: evidence from student surveys

in the US and Japan. (New Brunswick: New Media

Society, 2006)

24. Katz & Sugyiama, Mobile phones as fashion

statements, 10

25. Katz & Sugyiama, Mobile phones as fashion

statements, 15

26. Mitchell, William J., Placing Words: Symbols, Space,

and the City (Massachusetts: MIT Pres, 2005).

27. Mitchell, Placing Words, 8



30. Simun, Miriam, “My Music, My World: Using the

Mp3 Player to shape experience in London”

(published in New Media & Society Autumn, 2009)

31. Simun, My Music, My World, 3







38. Article: Mobile disco: “How phones make music

inescapable”[http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/a

ug/12/sodcasting-music-in-public-mobile-phones]

(United Kingdom: Guardian.co.uk, 2010)

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