Mobile phones and headphones go hand-in-hand (literally). People wear headphones everywhere; in the park, in the car, in their homes, on the plane. Chances are that anyone who owns a mobile device, also carries a pair of headphones with them. So who was the master mind behind this invention, does wearing headphones require an etiquette, and do headphones resemble our thoughts?
The master behind headphone apparel was a Utah Naval man named Nathaniel Baldwin, creator of the first pair of headphones before World War I. Funnily, Nathaniel created the idea of the headphone in his kitchen. From there, headphone popularity flourished and now everyone has their hands on them. Before this creation, music was a social aspect and the invention of the headphones transitioned music into a more personal and private matter. Headphones allowed people to listen to music in solitude. After both World Wars, in 1950 a man named John C. Koss invented stereo headphones for personal music consumption, and they have flourished into the headphones that we have today. As humans, we have private thoughts and headphones have the ability to make our music into thoughts. As we often like to have control over our environments, music is a good outlet for our thoughts, mood, and movement control as quoted by Dr. Michael Bull from University of Sussex- changing how we are perceived in public environments. Over time, headphones have evolved their own etiquette due to their portrayed privacy. When wearing headphones, we assume that person is busy or in their own world so we now wear them to appear like those traits, even without music playing.
Headphones are not going anywhere and are continuing to adapt to what benefits the audio industry. According to the Grand View Research, the global earphones and headphones market size was at $25.1 billion in 2019 and is predicted to grow annually by 20.3% from 2020-2027. The more demand for these products, the more advanced they will become, continuing their growth alongside their relationship with mobile technology and the internet. Essentially, headphones will continue to grasp people’s interests as newer and better versions are introduced. Wow!
Every day is a new opportunity to learn something, and it is crazy to think about how much technology has impacted our lives today. Here at the Jerry Evans School of Music, we incorporate our knowledge of technology into how we teach our students whether that be through using an amplifier to enhance the sound of instruments, microphones, computers to look at the piece they are working on, to listening to their piece through headphones. Call today at 630-359-7725 to schedule a trial lesson!
