'I Wasn't Part of The World': Reasons For Not Listening to Mobile Music

Abstract

Previous research has investigated the motivations for mobile music listening, while the limiting factors to using such services have been neglected. Therefore, this paper will focus on reasons for not listening to mobile music, particularly among mobile music listeners and people who do not use portable listening devices. Two studies were carried out, the first one considering mobile music listeners (n = 11), and the second non-listeners (n=11). Participants in the listening group were interviewed twice about their reasons for turning off their devices, once before and once after a period of time, in which they were observed while listening to mobile music. The non-listeners were interviewed about their rationales for not using portable listening devices and their opinions on mobile music listening. Results confirm prior findings particularly with regard to sociable behaviour and traffic safety. In addition, they offer novel perspectives on mobile music listening in everyday life, for instance, that the decision to turn off the music appears dependent on the activity that is carried out while listening, or that music can increase information overload. These results suggest that to achieve a balanced and informed view on mobile music listening, abstinence and avoidance of such activities need to be accounted for.