I have come across a few articles relating to iPods and both the physical and social health of the individual.
‘iPod thumb’.
Apparently jumping from tune to tune has its risks. ‘Ipod thumb’ is reportedly caused by repetitive hand movements when using the wheel to skim through lists of songs and artists etc. A spokesman from the British Chiropractic Association said:
This is a really serious problem. The action needed to move the wheel on an iPod is totally unnatural and effectively separates the joint in the thumb every time you use it… This causes inflammation in the thumb or fingers and can be very painful. We have also seen cases of iPod users where the problem has spread to their elbow and neck.
This is the same type of repetitive stress injury seen in tennis players (with their elbows) and athletes (in their feet). Children using their players for extended periods could be storing up problems for adulthood as their joints are still growing.
The advice is to avoid using your thumb to skim through songs, but instead use one hand to hold the iPod and use a finger on your other hand to ’wheel’ through songs.
iPod users lack social skills
There have been several reports of schools banning iPods, and now we are hearing of entire districts banning the ipod in schools. The reasons behind this are that the iPod causes children to be sefish and lonely, according to a school principle in Australia. She noticed that:
People were not tuning into other people because they’re tuned into themselves.
You can see where they are coming from to be perfectly honest. When I’m walking along the street listening to my iPod I’ll sing away to myself, or when I’m in the house I do tend to have a wee dance to myself. When I’m listening to my iPod I am locked up in a world of my own, and I can only imagine that other iPod listeners are in the same position. And I guess if you’re a child and you haven’t quite mastered great social skills (after all, that’s partly what school is about) it could have an adverse effect in later life.
In short, every moment spent listening alone to your iPod is a moment you wont get to spend with someone else. And lets face it, everyone wants to know, and be known, by someone else. Just think of all the opportunities you’re missing by listening to the worlds most hyped up device…
‘iPod oblivion’
This is a quick one. Basically, all that time spent in a world of your own listening to your iPod increases the risk of being knocked down. So much so, that in the State of New York one senator tried to get the iPod banned while people are crossing roads. He said:
They are walking into speeding cars. They are walking into buses. They are walking into one another and it is creating a number of fatalities that have been documented right here in New York City.
Personally I feel that this one is up to the individual. No government should take responsibility for utter stupidity…
|
Similar / Related Articles:
|
