Does your iPod define you? Study claims we use music to define ourselves

Have you ever looked at your friends iPod playlist and made judgment by who they are, or who they are aspiring to be? or perhaps you have thought about the same when putting together the content of your own iPod? A recent study from Cambridge University here in the UK claims that people use music to define their identity - true or aspired.

There has always been stereotypes about music and music followers depending on style of music, but this study goes on to talk about how we use music, either on our iPod or by following artists/bands online on services such as MySpace or Facebook. The researchers goes on the say that although their assumptions may not always be accurate, it gives them a very strong impression about a person when asked about their music taste.

The study used several sample groups that were asked to give their opinion about the personalities, values, social class, as well as ethnicity based on the music taste. Some of the stereotypes that came out of the study were:

Classical - White, upper class, personable, intellectual, unattractive, and boring

Jazz - Friendly, emotionally stable, limited sense of responsibility

Rap/Hip Hop - Black or mixed race, lower class, athletic, energetic, hostile

Rock - Rebelious, artistic, emotionally unstable

I guess that means that i suffer from multiple personality disorder, as you would be able to find most genres of music on my iPod!

Although i do believe there is some truth in the results of this study, as we all in one way or another seek to enforce our own personality, be it through clothing, music, or other forms of expression, or make assumptions about others based on the same criteria, i do think the world is not quite as black or white as this suggest.

Given the results of this study, how do we think the iPod defines who we are or aspire to be? We are doing our own study and hope you will help us by leaving a comment below describing how you view owners of different types of iPod’s.

What defines owners of the following Apple products:

1. iPod Classic
2. iPod Nano
3. iPod Touch
4. iPod Shuffle
5. iPhone

(13 votes, average: 3.46 out of 5)

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