Opinions and Choices of Users and Non-Users Related to Mobile Music Listening
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Two sides of the same coin: Opinions and choices of users and non-users related to mobile music listening Submitted by Eva Schurig, to the University of Exeter as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Sociology, in September 2018. This thesis is available for Library use on the understanding that it is copyright material and that no quotation from the thesis may be published without proper acknowledgement. I certify that all material in this thesis which is not my own work has been identified and that any material that has previously been submitted and approved for the award of a degree by this or any other University has been acknowledged. (Signature) ……………………………………………………………………………… 1 Abstract Mobile music listening has been explored from several perspectives, however, not much is known about the choices mobile music listeners have to make. Moreover, feedback from non-listeners on music listening has only been given anecdotally and not in the context of research. The aim of this thesis is therefore to investigate what motivates listeners to engage with mobile music and to discover more about the social and personal aspects that influence this engagement, as well as to explore views of non-listeners on mobile music listening. Employing a mixed-methods approach, interviews and participant observation were carried out with eleven mobile music listeners to investigate their thoughts and motivations regarding mobile music listening, and to verify these in practice. Eleven people who do not use portable listening devices were also interviewed about their opinions on mobile music listening. The most striking finding of this thesis is that listeners are not always listeners since they sometimes turn off their devices. The interviews with non- users of portable listening devices confirm that mobile music listening is not always seen as positive but has negative aspects as well, which add an important perspective to understanding this behaviour. Results reveal that mobile music listening is a complex cultural practice that connects to many parts of everyday life. Thus, mobile music listening, and similar practices, need to be studied in context to fully grasp everything that is happening. The new method applied in the first study proved to be beneficial in studying everyday behaviour as it occurs. It helps to gain valuable in-depth information in a short amount of time which is useful for future studies of everyday practices. Finally, results show that mobile music listening is simultaneously more sociable than previously assumed but also perceived as unsociable, which contributes a new perspective to studies of urban behaviour. 2 Acknowledgements This thesis would not be there in its present form without the following people, whom I would like to thank for their direct and indirect contributions: ➢ My first supervisor Prof. Tia DeNora, who generously supported me through every small and big step of this thesis, encouraged me throughout, and added valuable insights that took this work to a whole new level. ➢ My second supervisor Dr. Tom Rice, who helped me make sense of the thesis as a whole, and spent time concentrating on the small details that form the thesis into what it is now. ➢ My participants, without whom there would be no thesis, who offered their time and access to their thoughts and behaviours, and let me follow them around. ➢ My family, who offered a listening ear whenever necessary, acted as a sounding board when I needed to try out new ideas, and generally helped me keep sane throughout my work. ➢ My friends, who patiently let me talk about my thesis again and again, who encouraged me, stood by my side when I felt down, and were happy with me for every new accomplishment. ➢ The people I met at conferences who were interested in my studies and, through their questions, helped me see things more clearly. 3 Table of content List of Tables and Figures p. 7 Introduction pp. 8-16 1 Literature Review 1.1 Cities and music listening 1.1.0 Introduction pp. 17-18 1.1.1 A sociological picture of city life pp. 18-21 1.1.2 The relationship between environment and behaviour pp. 21-23 1.1.3 Functions of music pp. 23-26 1.1.4 Music and emotion pp. 27-30 1.1.5 Musical preferences pp. 30-32 1.1.6 Conclusion p. 33 1.2 Portable listening devices, users and non-users 1.2.0 Introduction pp. 34-35 1.2.1 The development of mobile music listening pp. 35-36 1.2.2 The prevalence of portable listening devices in everyday life p. 37 1.2.3 Functions of mobile music listening pp. 37-40 1.2.4 Modes of listening p. 40 1.2.5 The sociability debate pp. 41-43 1.2.6 Users and technology pp. 43-44 1.2.7 Dangers of mobile music listening pp. 45-48 1.2.8 Non-users pp. 48-50 1.2.9 Conclusion pp. 50-51 1.3 Gaps and research questions 1.3.0 Introduction pp. 52-53 1.3.1 Research questions regarding mobile music listening pp. 53-55 1.3.2 Research questions regarding non-use of portable listening devices pp. 56-57 1.3.3 Conclusion p. 57 2 Methods 2.0 Introduction p. 58 2.1 General information pp. 58-59 4 2.2 First study – mobile music listeners pp. 60-80 2.3 Second study – non-mobile music listeners pp. 80-82 2.4 Data analysis pp. 82-85 2.5 Conclusion pp. 85-86 Jane pp. 87-88 3 Reasons for listening to mobile music 3.0 Introduction p. 89-90 3.1 Reasons for listening to mobile music pp. 90-110 3.2 Non-listeners understanding listeners pp. 111-112 3.3 Conclusion pp. 113-114 4 No music by choice or accidentally 4.0 Introduction pp. 115-116 4.1 Strategies to maintain the functioning of listening- related devices pp. 116-120 4.2 If the battery runs out … pp. 120-126 4.3 Choosing to turn off the music pp. 126-141 4.4 Non-listeners' experiences with mobile music listening pp. 141-147 4.5 Conclusion pp. 147-158 5 Choice of music 5.0 Introduction p. 149 5.1 Content pp. 149-151 5.2 Differently engaged listeners pp. 152-158 5.3 Sources of music pp. 158-165 5.4 Conclusion pp. 165-166 6 Ways of listening to mobile music 6.0 Introduction p. 167-168 6.1 Focus during mobile music listening pp. 168-177 6.2 Ways of listening to music pp. 177-189 6.3 Devices and software pp. 189-197 6.4 Conclusion pp. 197-198 7 The emergence of a new form of etiquette 7.0 Introduction pp. 199-200 7.1 Mobile music listening in a social context pp. 200-222 7.2 Conclusion pp. 222-223 8 Dangers of mobile music listening 8.0 Introduction p. 224 8.1 Safety in urban traffic pp. 224-235 8.2 The effects of high sound volume pp. 235-241 5 8.3 Conclusion pp. 241-242 Anne pp. 243-244 9 Conclusion pp. 245-254 Appendix: Interview manual for the first study pp. 255-256 Interview manual for the second study p. 257 Bibliography pp. 258-281 6 List of Tables and Figures Figure 1 Vicious circle concerning city life p. 21 Table 1 Information about the participants of the first study p. 60 (mobile music listeners) Table 2 Information about the participants of the second study p. 81 (non-listeners) Table 3 Themes from the data analysis p. 84f. Table 4 More and less engaged listeners p. 151f. Table 5 Very passive to very active ways of finding new music p. 164 Table 6 Classification systems and strategies of music listening p. 178f. Table 7 Amount of control depending on listening behaviour p. 189 Figure 2 Tools for mobile music listening p. 190 7 Introduction General area of research Solitary listening did not start with the invention of headphones. It is not a creation of our time but developed out of a history of listening that started, according to Sterne (2003), with the invention of the stethoscope in the 19th century. It was the first device that divided “interior” and “exterior” sound (ibid., p. 111) and doctors had to learn “to restructure their auditory space“ (ibid., p. 128) and adapt to the possibilities and characteristics of this new device. The stethoscope provided a basis for solitary listening where sound is exclusive to the listener. This quality is perpetuated through headphones whose users also need to find their own way of balancing the sound heard through their headphones and the environmental noises. The stethoscope, and today the headphones, thus enabled particular listening practices for many people. Listening practices depend on the cultural values and practices of the time and are therefore culturally determined (Rice, 2015). They are “also shaped by technologies and their interfaces and affordances” which increase the listening possibilities (ibid., p. 102). Every new practice and technology needs to be adapted by the users and understood by the non-users in order to be accepted. Non-users also need to know how to interpret the users' behaviour with the technology in order to react accordingly (ibid.). Technology itself is also constantly subject to change and is influenced by cultural, social, political and economic factors (Winston, 1998, p. 341). Because of the constant change of technology, studying listening practices and user adaptation of devices today might not yield the same results as studies from several years ago. Mobile music listening can be seen in that context.