i-pod impact on life

The iPod has taken over the digital world, and it is not about to go away any time soon.
The Apple iPod is no longer just a music playing device. It is know an icon of modern and popular culture. Instead of going out and buying a different brand of MP3 player, most people are purchasing one of the highly stylized iPods even though they have no apparent differences. This is due to the massive impact that they have had on every single person in the Western world. No other object has had just a large influence, and none other is even close to matching it.
It's the invasion of the pod people, the iPod people, and those folks passing you with the buds coming out of their ears. It's a phenomenon that's been growing since apple's iPod, the most renowned of the so-called MP3 players, first hit the technological stage in 2001.
Several cities around the world have banned their use when driving cars because of the danger of distraction, yet millions of people continue to ‘plug in.’ Although it is more common to see their use in teenagers ears, it is not rare for people of other ages to be seen listening alongside. Their mass appeal to so many different demographics is one of the reasons that people cannot live without their iPod.
http://www.ipod.suite101.com/article.cfm/ipods_impact_on_modern_culture - 29k
And many new car stereos now come iPod-ready, a smart way to drive your iPod, as the promoters boast. As the technology has improved, the choices have grown. Users can download personal music play lists, so-called podcasts of news and information, including the News Hour…
ABC and NBC struck deals this winter with Apple to sell iPod users episodes of some of their most popular programs, current hits like "Lost" and "Law & Order," as well as "Dragnet" and other vintage shows.
So far, more than 15 million videos have been purchased at $1.99 each and downloaded from the Apple iTunes online music store. But music remains the dominant force, with over 1 billion songs downloaded from iTunes to Apple devices, such as the iPod and its smaller offspring, the Nano and the Shuffle.
People love the iPod and love other MP3 players because it allows them to create their own music environment, their own song of their life.
Most people use them, of course, to listen to music. But like most aspects of human behavior, it doesn't exist in isolation. What's really important to a lot of people is how other people see them, whether they're -- how they see them consuming music or walking down the street. And, therefore, something like the iPod is considered part of a personal statement.
For many scholars, the podification of society is just the latest chapter in a continuing story of technology and culture. Think of the remote control, the VCR, the Sony Walkman, and so much more, in which companies offer and people pursue ways to tailor, enjoy and control their environment.
Schools, too, are experimenting with the devices, using them more and more as a teaching tool. At Jamestown Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, we watched students armed with their iPods gather material for a podcast, a kind of audio-video report that can be digitally downloaded by others.

Having iPods and MP3 players, how many think it's a good thing? That's pretty much everyone.
For now, millions of consumers are seeing the benefits and voting with their pocketbooks, but pod people and their critics alike will keep their eyes open and ears plugged or not, as the technology continues to evolve and society continues to respond.
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/media/jan-june06/ipod_05-15.html
Ethical impacts of ipod on society
Some of the ethical impacts of the ipod on society may include:
The tendency of people to listen to their own music, their is a reduced sense of shared experience of music. For example it may reduce the tendency to listen to radio or a shared concert.
In some instances the ipod may have promoted people to 'steal' music via file sharing systems. This may have an impact on the way music is produce.
Having less shared musical experiences may lead to a more individualistic based society rather than a sharing environment where people feel responsible for each other.
The question could also be considered about the value of an ipod to society, how does it help or hinder society. There is some evidence to suggest that listening to music too loudly with headphones may harm or diminish your hearing. This may lead to a need to spend money on hearing health in the future. Does society want to do this? Can it afford it?
http://clearlyexplained.com/answers/ipodethics.html