If you are reading on this computer, or even cellphone it is incredibly likely you are probably either wearing headphones, or at least have a pair near you. The New York Times Magazine within the past few years released an article called "Against Headphones" where they explore headphones as a benefit or danger in popular culture today, as the luxury of them has been misused. While sound systems have become unbelievably popular over the years, ear-buds have caused a danger in young minds causing hearing loss and unawareness for the surrounding world, ultimately hurting teens more than helping.
Throughout the article a major appeal to statistics is presented demonstrated that "a leading cause of hearing impairments used to be excessive noise exposure in the work place, but today many young people are losing their hearing at alarming rates due to excessive noise exposure from portable stereo headphones", causing approximately "one in five teenagers in American" to not have difficulty hearing rustles or whispers. The fact that the number of teenagers has no hearing has jumped from slight to severe is very concerning. Although headphones create a private auditory experience, they simultaneously cause teens to be antisocial, making them unaware of the event taking place around them. Rather than turning and talking to individuals in public places people have tuned into what they want to hear where the miss socializing.
The solution to the excessive use of headphones can be resolved through reduced exposure, making it less likely to cause a permanent bilateral sensorineural hearing loss. It is true that headphones are extremely useful, but only in the right way- its important to use headphones less and sometimes listen to music or audio out loud for a change.
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