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Use of AirPods on Campus Deemed Sociological Phenomenon

By Heldenfalls , in Local News , at May 1, 2019 Tags: , , ,

Both faculty and students alike have noticed a new addition on campus: AirPods. The sleek white headphones seem to be the hottest new trend in campus fashion, boasting features such as hands-free calling and speedy Bluetooth pairing to other Apple devices. Dr. Richard Mosse, an Introduction to Sociology professor, has been researching the effect of AirPods on student interactions throughout campus.

According to Dr. Richard Mosse, the explosion of AirPod use on campus represents a sociological phenomenon. “The pace at which students have adopted AirPods is unprecedented,” Mosse said. “Of course, Émile Durkheim’s concept of structural functionalism would suggest AirPods must be serving some beneficial purpose on campus.”

Mikayla Sanchez, a senior psychology major, has also noticed high rates of AirPods ownership on campus. “Oh yeah, I see people wearing them all the time,” Sanchez said. “Honestly, I wish I had some. Then I could easily pretend not to notice people I went to high school with.”

“A common response I get is that AirPods help the user feel more confident while walking across campus,” Mosse said. “To me, this suggests that AirPods offer some kind of psychosocial security to students who feel threatened by having to interact with their peers. AirPods eliminate the awkwardness of deciding whether or not to say ‘Howdy’ to passerby.”

With the new generation of AirPods having recently been announced, time will tell whether the exponential rise of AirPods usage on campus will continue. The Mugdown will post an update once Dr. Mosse’s research concludes. Students interested in participating should be sure to purchase the revolutionary headphones.

 

—Heldenfalls