Are You Part Of The IPOD Generation?
If you were born in the nineties, there’s a good chance that you are part of the iPod generation. It’s worth knowing what those letters stand for and how they could impact you. So, let’s assess each one in turn and figure out why this might describe a part of your personality or indeed your physical health.
I - Insecure
Why are people in this generation insecure? It’s possibly due to the fact that our life is quite unstable. When you leave college, you will have a very small chance of getting a job in your chosen industry in the first year. Instead, you’ll have to work your way up before you find a position that you actually enjoy. This can take quite a lot of time and take a lot of hard work.
The world also constantly seems to be in flux as of late. It’s not just the economy, but the environment as well. The polar ice caps are melting, and we have never been closer to midnight than we are right now on the doomsday clock. Is it any wonder then that this generation is described as being insecure?
P - Poor
Despite celebrities like Kylie Jenner earning close to a billion, the gap between the poor and the wealthy has never been greater. The one percent is alive and well while the rest of us have to struggle to find work. Many businesses these days are also using freelancers rather than hiring full time workers. The benefit of this for them is that they don’t have to provide the basic and more advanced benefits of taking on an employee. Unfortunately, this has left a number of people struggling with high bills, no medical insurance, no employment benefits and a generally low level of pay with a job that doesn’t guarantee a steady income.
O - Obese
Yes, obesity levels are high these days, and while changes in how we think about our diet are helping, it’s impossible to ignore the socioeconomic factors at play here. Buying a burger from McDonald's is cheaper than buying the organic ingredients to make your own salad. While this continues, obesity will continue to be a problem. Celebrities like Jamie Oliver have campaigned to ban unhealthy foods, and countries like the UK have introduced a sugar tax, making unhealthy foods more expensive. However, it doesn’t change the fact that healthy meals are still the same price and the cost is only growing.
D - Deaf
Finally, the D stands for deaf although this might be a slight exaggeration. Recent reports have revealed an increase in cases of tinnitus, particularly in teenagers. That shouldn’t be surprising, particularly if you grew up when the iPod hit the market. Symptoms of tinnitus include hearing noises that aren’t there, often for extended periods. It can be quite loud too and very distracting. If you are having this issue, you might want to think about ditching your iPod.
Studies show that earphones played at over the mid-volume level are loud enough to cause permanent hearing damage. So, either turn the music down or consider just listening to it from speakers instead.