The Ipod's Negative Effects on Society

The iPod and other portable music players use MP3 technology, which digitally compresses the music file to allow much more information to be stored. But MP3 music often sounds mechanical or almost robotic through some speakers. MP3 files are inferior in quality to compact discs, and some audiophiles consider them inferior to old vinyl recordings

The 1970s was the decade of concept albums, albums that built on a theme that threaded through each song. (Pink Floyd's classic album "The Wall" is only one example of this format.) With the advent of MP3 players and the music sites that orient to them, however, many people aren't used to listening to an entire album and miss out on the complete experience the artist intended. Albums today are mined for one or two songs, and the classic concept albums lose much of their relevance.

Some critics claim that iPods have diluted artistic talent. Bands that have built their careers through talent, constant touring and album sales are lost in shuffle. Some bands, such as Tool, refuse to sell their albums online because they do not want them broken into individual tracks. The result is that many bands are absent from Internet music sites, and fewer people are aware of them.

The iPod and its music-store counterpart, iTunes, have some critics worried that the MP3 generation will become more withdrawn and isolated from society. In the past, a trip to the record or music store was required to purchase new albums. Now, with the digital revolution, everything can be purchased online without the customer leaving the house. This, critics fear, could lead to social problems as more and more people become hesitant to interact with the outside world.

Skipping tracks, and buying only what is in bold colors on iTunes is severely weakening the future of music. Word of mouth has given way to the instant access of the internet, and as a result, classic albums fall through the cracks. Rarely are the truly great albums from the 1960s, 1970s, and even some of the 1980s highlighted online, instead they give way to the newer, flashier groups, such as American Idol contestants. When presented in this manner, music becomes more of a commodity than an art form.