iFidelity - mating for life with your iPod

iFidelity: listen to the interview

iFidelity: view the presentation (best viewed in iTunes)

The whole world, just about, is in love with the iPod. That much we know, at least in general. But how do people, as individuals, relate to their iPods? How do they feel and think about them, what kind of loyalties and affections do they show to them, and how fickle are their fascinations for them? And why are these worthwhile and interesting questions to pursue? Is there something about the iPod itself that sets it apart from the ordinary array of objects that we use in our day-to-day lives?

Andrew Scott

Andrew Scott, from the School of Design at the Queensland University of Technology, has been investigating these issues. Over the past two years Andrew has been tracing how his chosen subjects, some 20 people, use and feel about their iPods. And this is no fanzine study. It’s the core research work for his PhD, is based on solid qualitative methodology, and sits within the broader field of ‘object biography’ – the study of the way in which social interactions between people and objects create particular meanings, and how those meanings are renegotiated over time. (Hey, there’s a new term maybe – iPography – the study of iPods in their social context.)

In this interview Andrew talks to Ian Green about the emerging results of his study. People love their iPods, it seems, seeing them almost as part of themselves, and with some very interesting rituals of fidelity, loss and separation. (Kind of like the rituals you have for human relationships, though I haven’t yet heard of anyone cheating on their iPod.) Listen to this interview to find out more. And you can also view the slides and audio of the Create World presentation, which Andrew has very kindly made available.

Ian Green