Be considerate, get a headphone

This is not just limited to young children who are given devices by their parents to watch content in public spaces. It includes people across age groups whether its teenagers, adults, or senior citizens. Whether it’s reels, videos, music or gaming, all of it is consumed in public spaces, very often on high decibel without headphones

A 33-year-old client tells me “I’m stuck with this peculiar problem. I don’t know if my threshold levels are low or if I am expecting too much from the world. I live with my parents and while my role allows for me to work from home, it’s almost impossible to do that. My parents continually watch videos on their phone on high volume and they refuse to wear headphones or earbuds. I have tried everything, from gentle acts of buying them headphones to explaining to them how it’s annoying for me, but they just don’t feel comfortable using them. So, I decided to go to a café, and work. But that didn’t help either, people who are sitting on tables next to mine are sometimes video calling others and at other times playing music or gaming on their phone on loud volume. It’s annoying and frustrating. I don’t know what the rules are when it comes to this. Shouldn’t the café, restaurant owners be reminding them of the etiquette in public spaces?”

Mumbai, India - December 22, 2018: A girl checks her phone in front of a advertisement board at WEH metro station in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, December 22, 2018. (Photo by Shashi S Kashyap/ HT PHOTO) (HT PHOTO)

All of us have witnessed this and been at the receiving end of this. This trend of watching videos or visual content on one’s own device, on high volume which is audible to others in public has come to be known as loudcasting. Whether you are at airports, lounges, cafes or even public transport, there are loudcasters everywhere and maybe you are also guilty of doing that. This is not just limited to young children who are given devices by their parents to watch content in public spaces. It includes people across age groups whether its teenagers, adults, or senior citizens. Whether it’s reels, videos, music or gaming, all of it is consumed in public spaces, very often on high decibel without headphones. I sometimes wonder if they are not even aware of how uncomfortable and irritating this may be to those around them.

In countries like Japan, speaking loudly in public spaces and loudcasting is a strict no and people choose to respect others and as a result, use headphones when they are listening and watching content online in public spaces. An act of loudcasting can be seen as intrusive because it doesn’t allow for people to coexist, it feels self-serving without having any respect or empathy for others who are also using the same space. I remember about 10 years back, around 2013- 2018, there used to be a large debate about how the use of headphones in public spaces is not allowing us to stay in the present, observe the surroundings and pay attention to life that’s happening all around us. Some felt it was taking away the possibility of micro-interactions with strangers and the possibility of stranger love or a kind gesture from someone with whom our paths intersected.

Having said that, technology has massively changed in the last 10 years and more so in the last five. Now we need new rules and headphones so that public spaces continue to feel safe.

Both at an individual and collective level we need to figure how to engage with technology in public spaces.

I can envision a time where restaurants and airports would have rules about digital etiquette. I think it’s alright to politely check if they can watch or listen on their headphones.

Using headphones while watching content whether at home or in public spaces, when surrounded by others, is an act of extending respect and being sensitive to others.