iPod: personalizing isolation

Many pundits (read 'luddites') fear that the proliferation of iPod toting folks is isolating people from group experiences that define our culture as a whole. Katherine Mangu-Ward, writing for Reason Magazine, argues that this fear has been around since the dawn of the Walkman, and we seem to be doing ok. The iPod's ability to isolate people isn't a drawback, but rather a feature. People crave to have their own little musical universe in which to retreat from the increasingly noisy work a day world.

I thank the Jobs every time my iPod saves me from being forced to listen to some random cellphone conversation. So, what do you think? Is the isolation offered by an iPod worrying? Or should we all just pop in some ear buds and rock out?

[via Informationally Overloaded]
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