The Headphone Fever

For some time now, the invisible lens of the eye man captures a particular scene almost everywhere in the streets, public places and even on campuses, the use of headphones.

To the best of my knowledge, headphones are private sound output devices normally used for studio works. They come in different brands, sizes, colours and capacity for specific purposes, but it isn’t so in this our modern era. Headphones now play a major role in the fashion world of the youth of today. Almost every ‘guy’ you meet have headphone covering the ear either connected to portable music players or as necklace around the neck, and for a moment, I thought Ghanaian youth are all now turning into disc jockeys (DJs).

                                

There are unpleasant situations where some culprits narrowly escape being knocked down by vehicles just because they have no ears to hear the horns of vehicles approaching them. I leant this habit originated from the hip hop world, where you see most rap artiste with headphones around their neck. My problem is not about its usage but rather its effect on hearing.

Hearing loss is related to the volume and duration of sound because the human ear is one of the most delicate sense organs. There is much concern about the effect of iPods and other MP3 players. With these devices, music is blared directly into the ears via head/earphone, the volume is often high, and the devices hold thousands of songs that are listened to for long periods.

 Hearing specialists are reporting seeing teens with signs of noise-induced hearing loss that would not be expected until middle age. (Spencer J., 2006). Researchers studying cassette players and portable compact disc players have found an increased risk of hearing loss among people who listen to loud music through headphones for extended periods. In one well-cited study, recommendations were made to limit the use of portable CD players to one hour per day at 60% of maximum volume (Fligor, 2004). If you listen for more than one hour, the volume should be turned down below 60%. Maximum sound levels of CD players and iPods are estimated to be between 100 and 115 decibels. I cannot advise people not to use it but will rather suggest these few safety precautions:

• At home or in a quiet place (not in the street), set the volume low so that you can still hear sound around you.  
• When you go into the street DO NOT MAKE IT LOUDER, the noisy environment and the loud volume will worsen the situation. Alternatively, buy noise reduction earphones that will block out the street noise so you do not have to turn up the volume to hear the music comfortably.
• Finally, avoid the habit of using headphone for personal entertainment if you can, instead use loud speakers.

If you loose your hearing just for the love of one song, how on earth are you going to enjoy the millions of other nice music which are yet to come? Stay safe and keep your ears healthy.