It's a single-purpose tool, not prone to the interruptions and distractions from the music that smartphones give us. While both can give the user a sense of isolation, there is something more pure about Walkman use. Her reflections on the differences between Walkman use and smart phone use are interesting. I remember well the warnings about hearing loss, and the frowns of others when a Walkman user went through life in his or her Walkman-induced isolation. Tuhus-Dubrow spends a lot of time on the fans and the critics of the new technology. Even with the imitators, there is no question Sony was the pioneer. I don't know that it had any great advantage over Sony's, other than I thought it looked cool. I think my first Walkman (the word became generic for all brands, not just Sony) was actually the Panasonic Way. Sony introduced the compact cassette player, paired with lightweight headphones, in the late 1970s, and seemingly overnight they were everywhere, the most coveted new invention in memory. She succinctly follows the rise, influence, and lasting societal impact of the Sony Walkman. Children of the '80s will enjoy the nostalgia trip in Rebecca Tuhus-Dubrow's Personal Stereo, part of Bloomsbury Acedemic's "Object Lessons" series.
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