Ways of Hearing, Episode 1 & 2

Krukowski describes real time as “lived time” and digital time as “machine time.” You can manipulate machine time in ways you cannot manipulate real time, like by speeding it up or slowing it down. Krukowski points out that when media went digital, it changed our way of sharing time together. Previously, everyone would have to tune into the radio at the same time to hear a new song or listen to the baseball game, but now we are able to listen and view at our leisure. This makes us all a little less unified in the way we share experiences. 

Moss mentions the rules now set in Astor Place, and the security guards there to enforce them. The space gives the illusion of being public, for everyone to share. In reality, it is only for certain kinds of people who are acting in a certain manner to share. The privatization dictates how the “public” space gets used.

The further you are from a sound, the harder it is to hear it. Thompson talks about concert halls as a refuge from outdoor sound. They filter out the sounds you don’t want to hear and amplify the sounds you do want to hear. She says that earbuds are an “auditorium without walls,” enabling the listener to hear the sound without noise pollution.

I was supposed to go to a concert in Radio City Music Hall in May, which got postponed due to the pandemic. I’ve been to many venues, but this podcast made me truly excited to visit Radio City. When you go to a concert, you want to be able to hear what is happening on stage just as much as you want to be able to see it. Thompson describes the venue as almost a chamber to reflect the sound of the stage back down to the audience, to try and filter out any other sound there may be. I hadn’t realized how much work goes into perfecting the sound in a venue before listening to this.

1 thought on “Ways of Hearing, Episode 1 & 2

  1. Ngawang Tashi

    Hi Lily, Yes radio city its a crazy big hall you can hear anything in that hall because of the design, i been there when i was little. Good response on you last question!

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