Marie Strand Skånland A TECHNOLOGY OF WELL-BEING A qualitative study on the use of MP3 players as a medium for musical self-care Submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo 2012 NMH-publicatons 2012:1 © Marie Skånland ISSN 0333-3760 ISBN 978-82-7853-069-6 Norwegian Academy of Music P.O. 5190 Majorstua N-0302 Oslo, Norway Telephone: (+47) 23 36 70 00 Fax: (+47) 23 36 70 01 E-mail: [email protected] www.nmh.no Produced in co-operation with Unipub Printed in Norway: AIT Oslo AS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS In August 2008, the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo took me in as a PhD scholar, giving me the opening to carry out a three year long research project on a topic which has been truly engaging. Thank you for providing me with this opportunity. Many people have been important to me throughout this process, and I want to extend my gratitude: First and foremost, I want to thank the twelve informants who willingly participated in the study. This thesis is based on your stories. Thank you, professor Even Ruud, for being an academic inspiration and a constructive and encouraging supervisor. You never stopped believing in my research, and that has been crucial to me during this process. I also want to thank the Centre for Music and Health at the Norwegian Academy of Music – Gro Trondalen, Even Ruud, Lars Ole Bonde and Karette Stensæth – for including me and making me feel welcome in your group. My heartfelt gratitude to professor Tia DeNora and the SocArts group at Exeter University for welcoming me as a visiting scholar in 2009. DeNora is not only a brilliant professor, but also the most generous person I have ever met. Thank you for making my stay in Exeter so valuable. I am especially grateful for having gotten to know the ‘SocArts Superwomen’ Mariko Hara, Pinar Güran and Sigrun Lilja Einarsdottir. I am looking forward to our next meetings somewhere on this planet. There are also many colleagues in Norway whom I wish to thank, particularly Ingeborg Lunde Vestad, Hege Beckmann, Ragnhild Brøvig- Hanssen and Marita Buanes Djupvik for exchanging ideas; my fellow PhD i scholars at the Academy of Music for challengingth me and providing me with new insights; and our ‘lunch group’ on 5 floor for many inspirational conversations over numerous cups of coffee, in particular Astrid Kvalbein, Karette Stensæth, Tanja Orning, Solveig Christensen and Tone Kvamme. Tone, a special thanks to you for never skipping lunch, and for taking me along on your work trip to Spain – the timing could not have been better. The library staff at the Norwegian Academy of Music deserves notice for their exceptional service. Thank you for all the help you have offered me tracking down numerous articles and books – always with a smile! Thank you, Brynjulf Stige, for your excellent performance as my opponent at my ‘test-viva’. You made an invaluable contribution in the final stages of my research – thank you for being so constructive and ‘to the point’. Caroline Babayan – thank you for translating quotes and proofreading the final text as well as essays along the way, and helping me improve my academic English. The support from my family and friends throughout these years have been invaluable: A big thank you to my parents Torill and Halfdan, my sisters Helga and Sigrid, their partners Caroline, Siv, Øyvind and Sébastien, and my precious nephews Sebastian, Anders and Nicolai. In fear of leaving names out, I want to further thank my dear friends Anette Forsbakk, Anette Hauge- Eltvik, Birgitte Breistein, Elin Torp and Mette Marit Nesvik for listening to my frustrations and insecurities, for giving me perspective when I needed it, and for providing me with numerous laughs. Finally, a special thank you to my beloved husband Nils-Egil for your patience, encouragement, and unwavering belief in me. Thank you for always being there with me and for always cheering me on. Oslo, 1 September 2011 Marie S. Skånland ii CONTENTS Acknowledgements ............................................................................................... i 1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 1 1.1 MP3 players – some technicalities ...................................................... 2 1.1.1 Online music libraries .................................................................. 4 1.1.2 Research on MP3 use .................................................................. 5 1.2 Background .......................................................................................... 5 1.3 Research focus and questions ............................................................. 7 1.4 Personal and professional context .................................................... 10 1.4.1 Academic background ............................................................... 11 1.4.2 Personal background ................................................................. 12 1.5 Relevance of the present study ......................................................... 13 1.6 Outline of the thesis .......................................................................... 14 2. LITERATURE REVIEW .................................................................................. 17 2.1 Literature search results .................................................................... 18 2.2 Music in everyday life – a sociological approach............................... 21 2.2.1 Everyday music listening – Tia DeNora ..................................... 21 2.2.2 Personal stereos and the iPod – Michael Bull ........................... 24 2.3 Music in everyday life – a psychological approach ............................ 26 iii 2.3.1 Music and emotions in daily life – John Sloboda and colleagues 26 2.3.2 Music and affect regulation – Annelies van Goethem .............. 29 2.4 Music in everyday life – a health approach ....................................... 32 2.4.1 Daily music listening and health promotion – Kari Batt-Rawden 32 2.4.2 Music, health, and quality of life – Even Ruud .......................... 34 2.5 Placing the present study .................................................................. 36 3. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ...................................................................... 39 3.1 Music ................................................................................................. 40 3.1.1 Musicking .................................................................................. 41 3.1.2 Active versus passive music listening? ...................................... 43 3.1.3 Affordances of music ................................................................. 45 3.2 Technologies of the self ..................................................................... 47 3.3 Health and quality of life ................................................................... 50 3.3.1 What is health? ......................................................................... 50 3.3.2 Salutogenic health ..................................................................... 53 3.3.3 Health as quality of life.............................................................. 55 3.3.4 Music as a technology of health ................................................ 60 3.4 Positive psychology ........................................................................... 62 3.4.1 Well-being: eudaimonia and hedonism .................................... 64 3.4.2 Positive emotions ...................................................................... 69 3.4.3 A note on measuring subjective well-being .............................. 70 3.5 Summary ............................................................................................ 73 4. METHODOLOGY ......................................................................................... 75 4.1 A hermeneutic approach ................................................................... 76 iv 4.1.1 Research metaphors ................................................................. 79 4.2 Qualitative interviews........................................................................ 81 4.3 The researcher as a research tool ..................................................... 84 4.4 The selection...................................................................................... 85 4.5 The interviews ................................................................................... 89 4.5.1 Written reports ......................................................................... 94 4.6 The analysis ....................................................................................... 95 4.6.1 Transcription ............................................................................. 96 4.6.2 Categorization ........................................................................... 97 4.6.3 Interpretation .......................................................................... 103 4.7 Questions about validity .................................................................. 105 4.7.1 Intersubjectivity ...................................................................... 107 4.7.2 Reflexivity ................................................................................ 109 4.7.3 The trustworthiness of the interview ...................................... 113 4.7.4 Credibility of the analysis ........................................................ 115 4.7.5 Transferability of the findings ................................................. 117 4.8 Ethical considerations .....................................................................