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Aiglos · Nov 12, 2003, 09:29 AM

Here's an interesting article from wired about iTunes and how it's being used as a window to a person's personality. It looks like sharing music exerts social pressure on students to be "cool."

It has an interesting take on how people percieves the person and their music that they listen to.

Although I believe that music may reflect some personal aspects of an individual, I don't think it accounts for everything. Or maybe it does... My taste in music ranges from classical to german techno, as the article points out, such as Rammstein. Yet I am not a mesh shirt wearing nazi.

I think it's ridiculous that people are altering their playlist or selcectively shares their music based on such perceptions. I mean, who really cares if you listen to Britney Spears or Enya. Really to all his/her own.

Could Apple be ann architect to social decay or a deeper level of conformist? Where we all listen to the same music because it's cool. It's a minor issue really, but interesting to see it in play...

BTW, I do occasionally listen to Enya, but not Britney Spears.

Axo1ot1 · Nov 12, 2003, 10:02 AM

There are a lot of rendezvous lists in my iTunes and I have only explored a limited number of them. The all seem to have Dave Matthews in common, but vary to some extent outside of that. The thing is, I have no idea whose playlists they are. I can think someone has good or bad taste in music and not judge them as a person. If I haven't met them, how the hell can I comment on them?

Cipher13 · 10:12 AM

Originally posted by Aiglos:
BTW, I do occasionally listen to Enya, but not Britney Spears.

Suuuuure you don't.

Anyway... yeah, I believe you can judge a person based upon their playlist, to a certain degree of accuracy.

As for it exerting peer social pressure? Big deal. Everything does that, nowadays. What flavour lipstick you wear, what brand your contact lenses are, how short your microskirt really is, how many colours your phone can display... heh.

Find something that COULDN'T be argued to have something to do with peer pressure.

EDIT: This is no difference than any pressure to keep certain CDs on display in ones CD wallet/car/bedroom CD tower.

I see no difference.

Aiglos · Nov 12, 2003, 10:26 AM

Originally posted by Cipher13:
Suuuuure you don't.

Anyway... yeah, I believe you can judge a person based upon their playlist, to a certain degree of accuracy.

As for it exerting peer social pressure? Big deal. Everything does that, nowadays. What flavour lipstick you wear, what brand your contact lenses are, how short your microskirt really is, how many colours your phone can display... heh.

Heheh, honestly I don't...

But, I find there isn't much in terms of social pressures from the other factors than the music you listn to. No one really comments on the brand of contact lenses I wear nor the appearance of my phone.

From what I gathered, music has a large influence on the way people interact. It's easy to say that you listen to say U2, then say orchastrated compilations to Final Fantasy. Both of which I do listen to. Yah, I admit it... I listen to game music.

Cipher13 · Nov 12, 2003, 10:33 AM

Originally posted by Aiglos:
Heheh, honestly I don't...

But, I find there isn't much in terms of social pressures from the other factors than the music you listn to. No one really comments on the brand of contact lenses I wear nor the appearance of my phone.

From what I gathered, music has a large influence on the way people interact. It's easy to say that you listen to say U2, then say orchastrated compilations to Final Fantasy. Both of which I do listen to. Yah, I admit it... I listen to game music.

A large influence on the way people interact, absolutely - but that doens't always equate to peer pressures, I don't think.

Sherwin · Nov 12, 2003, 10:36 AM

For anyone over the age of 12, it's self-sourced peer pressure - in that nobody gives a toss what make your phone is or what music you listen to but you still think they do. That's the effects of good marketing for you.

I couldn't give a baboon's arse whether visitors spot my Muppet Show CD or not.

Developer · Nov 12, 2003, 10:37 AM

Originally posted by Aiglos:
Yah, I admit it... I listen to game music.

The Master thereof
Monty on the Run

mitchell_pgh · Nov 12, 2003, 11:20 AM

I poke around other peoples shared music. I find it very interesting. The sad truth is, I don't know what songs I have on my computer. When you have over 9000 songs, you start to lose track. I have my favorites, but you aren't going to find me listening to the 4 KISS CDs that I have encoded.

GoGoReggieXPowars · Nov 12, 2003, 12:23 PM

Originally posted by Sherwin:
I couldn't give a baboon's arse whether visitors spot my Muppet Show CD or not.

If I saw that, I'd ask to borrow it!

I can't believe the dork in the article removed things that he obviously enjoys from his playlist just to look cool. Oh no! The jazz expert's not going to be the exclusive wanker because, gosh, someone else wants to hear what he likes! What crap. Hell, I've spent most of my life trying to get people to listen to all the crazy obscure bands I love.

Cipher's hit this nail right on the head.

nayr x · Nov 12, 2003, 01:27 PM

There are 5 of us on our wireless connection @ our house, and since I have directed the PC users (Uh... everyone but myself) to the download page at apple/itunes, music sharing is now quite prevalent. My friends informed me that i have some weird sh*t on my comp, and indeed I do. (In highschool I did a lot of video stuff, so I have a few really bizzare Mp3s from one project or another... like the sesame street "rubber ducky" song in german, and the barbie-girl song in dutch... (which is actually freaking hilarious).. but it has made me go back through a delete some of these weird random files (there were more than just these 2 examples, which I am keeping)... but yeah. I don't think that constitutes an intentional false representation of the person I am... just that I care enough about my audience to filter out the fluff.

Stogieman · Nov 12, 2003, 11:40 PM

Originally posted by Axo1ot1:
There are a lot of rendezvous lists in my iTunes and I have only explored a limited number of them. The all seem to have Dave Matthews in common... The thing is, I have no idea whose playlists they are.

I think you may have stumbled on Ca$h's "Top Rated" or "Top 25 Most Played" playlists.

wataru · Nov 13, 2003, 12:11 AM

Unfortunately I'm on dialup at home, but I often go to a nearby university library to study. When I do, I'm on the same subnet as basically every UW library in Madison, so I usually see a good number of iTunes shares. Every once in a while someone will figure out who I am and chat with me on iChat via Rendezvous. I've gotten nothing but compliments on my collection, and I make no apologies for my weird stuff

maxintosh · Nov 13, 2003, 12:46 AM

There are about 40 people on iTunes in my dormitory. (We're all on different switches, so I can only see other people in my building.)