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It is generally agreed that whoever said you can never have too much of a good thing was probably a liar. But dare I say it isn’t commonly thought that you can listen to too much music. Yet after the sudden realization that I cannot handle a single walk to class without it, I’d have to say that you can.
More than ever before, we’ve become a culture of background noise. That noise comes in many forms, from the hum of an AC unit to the home renovation television show playing in your dentist’s lobby. But undoubtedly, the catchiest of all has been infinite hours of tuneage right at our fingertips via the smartphone.
You’ve certainly seen it yourself. From the moment you pass Sample Gates, there’s a plethora of headphone-clad students in your path. You’re probably one of them. We’ve managed to add a soundtrack to tasks as simple as cleaning, walking or even eating. But why? I suppose we are in the digital age, after all, where multitasking sits atop a pedestal.
Edison Research and SiriusXM Media’s 2025 report found Generation Z spent an average of about four hours and 10 minutes consuming audio each day. Roughly 42% of that time was devoted to streaming music. Those numbers have seemingly increased. Looking at data released by Spotify Advertising this year, Gen Z represents 35% of Spotify’s total audience, averaging two hours daily on the app.
Now, this isn’t supposed to be the tirade of a peevish old man wagging his finger at the latest gadget. We can still listen to music, but it should be done intentionally. Many moons ago I noted that home computers, anchored in one spot, gave us the freedom to enter and exit the web as we pleased. I think the same can apply to music.
When our phones give us 24/7 access to tunes, the artistry of our favorite music can be diluted into mere noise that accompanies us throughout the day. Making the intentional decision to listen to an album all the way through might do the work more justice, as opposed to your playlist on a mad dash to Ballantine Hall for that 8 a.m. lecture. I personally don’t think I’m fully appreciating the mastery of Hozier’s lyricism in line at Aldi.
So, what if we ditched the headphones for a moment? We could always “Enjoy the Silence.”
As many of my columns tend to, this one comes from a place of self-reflection. It came from the drastic decision to finally unplug my earbuds so I could charge an almost-dead cellphone. More specifically, it came from realizing that it shouldn't have been such a tough choice. What I was left with when I made that decision was silence, my own thoughts left undisturbed by The Last Dinner Party.
Unbearable.
But it isn’t just me. I think we’re all losing the art of the ponder. Instead of tackling our thoughts, we rely on audio and other forms of media content to ease our restless minds. In a New York Times guest essay, Georgetown University computer science professor Cal Newport argued that digital technologies are hindering our cognitive abilities to think deeply, now more than ever.
“In an era when technologies relentlessly disrupt our lives, it can seem that this cognition crisis is a fait accompli – a side effect of innovations that cannot be stopped,” Newport wrote. “But do we really have to accept this steady loss of our thinking ability as inevitable?”
So how do we curb this loss? Taking a break from music listening certainly seems like a random conclusion, but a psychologically backed one to be sure. Experts say that quiet solitude is critical. By reducing distractions, it clears our minds to facilitate problem-solving, boost creativity and contribute to an overall sense of personal fulfillment.
But taking the initiative to find that solitude is another matter.
My evolution as a writer has brought with it a lot of realizations about the very emotional relationship we have with tech media. When we have a beastly exam lurking around the corner, we have doomscrolling to distract the mind. When we have an empty seat at the table, we have social platforms to quench our thirst for connection. And when we have a quiet home after the loss of a loved one, we have the ambience of cable television to fill the void.
So, it’s time that I asked myself what it is that constant music provides me. Or perhaps, what I’m using it to distract myself from. What am I avoiding by refusing to be left with my thoughts? I don’t have all the answers right now, but simply asking those questions is a step in the right direction.
Of course, disconnecting our headphones won’t come easily. Learning how to appreciate quiet in undoubtedly the loudest era of human history thus far is quite the task. But it could also bring us peace of mind.
Emma Howard (she/her) is a junior studying journalism.
