60/60 Rule

This happens in two ways: listening at too high of a volume, or listening for too long. Studies have confirmed the obvious fact that “the louder the noise and the longer you’re hearing it, the greater the risk of hearing loss” (Siegel). This study concluded that an increasing amount of teens are suffering hearing loss and “wearing earbuds to listen to music may be to blame” (Siegel). The knowledge of loud sounds hurting the ear is well known, but not as many people are aware of the problems caused by listening to music for an extended amount of time. “Constant low-level noise might cause hearing problems, a new study in rats finds” (Cheung). Even music at a low level can damage a listener’s hearing if heard for an extended period of time, but what can losing some hearing really do to a

In today’s society there is an ongoing debate of weather children who are deaf should receive cochlear implants. A cochlear implant is a device that takes sound wave and changes the waves into electrical activity for the brain to interpret. Wire called electrodes are surgically implanted into the cochlear nerve which receives a signal from the microphone attached to the transmitter and speech processor. The microphone captures the sound from the environment and the speech processor filters the noise versus speech. Then the transmitter sends an electrical signal through the electrodes to stimulate the cochlear nerve. Every person has a different thought depending on their experiences in their life whether deaf children should receive cochlear

In order to gain a better understanding of the difficulties faced by people with hearing loss I wore ear plugs for an entire day in a variety of settings. The hearing loss simulation made relatively simple parts of my day much more difficult and really showed how much hearing loss can impact daily life. As discussed in class the shift from being “able-bodied to disabled”, was quite difficult to cope with.

Incorporating logical appeals into her writing allows Heffernan to reach a larger audience by providing factual support as backing for the argument. The author writes, “the number of teenagers with hearing loss… has jumped 33 percent since 1994” (Heffernan, 2011). By using a statistic as a logical premise in support of prohibiting headphones, the author sheds light on the harsh reality of headphone use: more young people experience hearing loss. When discussing the history of headphones, the author states, “workers and soldiers have long used [headphones] to mute out the din of machinery or artillery while receiving one-way orders from someone with a microphone” (Heffernan, 2011). Heffernan recognizes a factual use of headphones while at the same time acknowledging that headphones are useful in some instances, which helps to strengthen her argument. Heffernan then goes on to say, “headphone users who listen to

She gives three reasons in order to support her claim. The first reason is “teenagers exhibit what’s known as a slight hearing loss.” The author tried to convince to parents that if children constantly using headphones, they often cannot hear sounds at a low volume and they cannot make out consonants like T’s or K's. The second reason is “the danger of digital culture to young people is not that they have hummingbird attention spans but that they are going deaf.” In this reason, Heffernan wanted to show that how dangerous of headphones will cause. The last reason is headphone users who listen to music at high volume for more than an hour a day risk permanent hearing loss after five

Headphones have been in use for over a century, yet they have only recently become a topic of debate. Headphones are a way for people to listen to music, audiobooks, or whatever they like privately without disrupting others around them. However, all of this private listening may soon be falling on deaf ears. In Virginia Heffernan’s article “Against Headphones”, she presents a valid argument stating that although headphones are useful in some professions, they are causing substantial hearing loss, especially in young people. The formulated argument effectively incorporates ethos, logos, and opposing viewpoints with rebuttals, but could be strengthened in some areas to increase effectiveness.

According to the Deaf Culture Centre, Deaf Culture is defined as the “heart of the Deaf community everywhere in the world. Language and culture are inseparable. They are intertwined and passed down through generations of Deaf people.” It is estimated that nearly 20 percent of Americans live with some form of hearing loss, yet deaf and hard of hearing society members remain oppressed by the mainstream culture (Callis). These people that identify with the deaf culture, use American Sign Language (ASL) to communicate. ASL is a combination of hand signs and facial expressions that are unique to the Deaf community. Deaf people view deafness as a blessing and a unique way to live life. They are very proud and prideful. In the Deaf culture, the decision of getting a cochlear implant has been controversial for many years.

There are many things that people in the hearing world take for granted every day, such as verbal communication, using a telephone or something as simple as the feeling you get when your favorite song comes on the radio. To a person that has been completely immersed in the deaf community, it may be easy to view the sense of sound as unnecessary. As a member of the haring community it would seem nearly impossible to live a day without sound. Cochlear implants are devices that help a person who is deaf gain hearing to some degree, and in some cases nearly full hearing. This new technology has become very controversial throughout both the hearing, and the deaf world.

Deafness or hard of hearing, is defined by the medical society as a disability, but those who are diagnosed with the disability think otherwise. They think of themselves as a community, embrace it as an identity, or a culture with their own language, sign language, and they believe their community is being threaten. They label themselves as a minority endangered of being wiped out because of one leading cause, cochlear implants. Those serious about their ideals of their community see cochlear implants as a threat, because cochlear implants are considered as cure. Countless number of controversies over cochlear implants have been brought up, but the Deaf community should see cochlear implants as gift for patients rather than an extreme threat.

Jennifer Dignan prompts us to Throw Away Your Earbuds Now in the scholastic article she wrote, Throw Away Your Earbuds Now. She separates her article into three parts: an example of the problem, addressing the problem, and explaining how we can prevent the problem from happening to us. In this instance, the problem is that young people are losing their hearing quicker and quicker due to the fact that they’re blasting literally deafening music through their earbuds. This article ties in with an ABC video our class watched concerning the same topic. Jennifer Dignan wrote this article to teach teens that would be reading the scholastic magazine to educate them on how they can preserve their hearing, an extremely important skill, for the long future ahead of them.

Wearing earplugs for six hours has given me so much insight into what those who use hearing aids and cochlear implants experience. It has also given me a new appreciation for my ears. I did not realize how difficult it would be to attempt to communicate as I normally would with the earplugs in; however, it was frustrating, straining, and exhausting. I wore the earplugs in three different situations. The first setting was with my roommates at home, the second setting took place in a shopping trip to the mall, and the third setting in which I wore earplugs was a cell phone conversation with my mom. These experiences were trying, but ultimately gave me a better understanding and empathy for individuals who are hard of hearing; this exercise will

“Against Headphones” article by Virginia Heffernan talks about the dangerous things headphones do to teens. She says that 1 out of 5 teens have trouble hearing, believed to be caused by headphones. The amount of teens with hearing troubles has increased 33% since 1994. She states that people who listen to things with headphones daily have a higher chance of hearing loss.

After watching the video I believe we need to inform individuals more about hearing loss and what we can do to prevent hearing loss, such as setting our ear buds at a lower decimal. Another interesting thought that appeared to me while watching this video was the sound of different music and how it can affect individuals. For instance people hear sounds differently according to their ear cells. However when would an individual realize that their music is too loud or how do people really determine when a certain decimal can damage their cells. For instance an individual should know if their music is too loud in a car if the car is actually vibrating to the beat, or if your body starts to shake. But for ear buds I believe manufactures should start making their headphones exceed to only 80 decimals, instead of 110 decimals. By doing this individuals will not be hurting their ears, and they might be able to distinguish when a certain sound is too loud so they can properly protect their

Headphones are a necessity for many people in today’s society. Headphones allow a person to listen to music without disturbing others; therefore people are listening to music all day while they eat, sleep, or work. In Derek Thompson’s essay, “How Headphones Changed the World”, Thompson addresses the problem of why workers use headphones even if studies have shown that it interferes with their productivity levels. Thompson effectively uses precise language and organizes his essay in a way that shows a breakdown of his thoughts on this topic. These two elements make the essay easy to understand, which enhances the audience’s reading experience.

Earplugs are placed into the ear canal in order to block the entrance of sound by forming a hermetic seal. Earplugs are better suited for longer use for those individuals who are exposed to noise throughout their workday, and provide a significant amount of attenuation. However, the effectiveness of the earplugs depends on proper insertion, and requires training employees on how to correctly place them in the canal. The level of attenuation can vary depending on how well the earplug is fit, as well as the motivation of the employee to wear them consistently (Berger, 2003).