General Direction of Project

While this project does not fully intend to focus on music-based connections between users of social group, or strangers for that matter, it is one of the driving factors behind the proposal for this so-called “Auditory Networking and Location-Aware” device. In the Gen-Y culture, music has seemingly become ubiquitous and is seen as an outlet for self-expression and a means for acceptance among social peers. In some cases, music even offers an emotional release (Konecni, 2008), not to mention a means of isolating oneself from the outside world. Furthermore, as Greg Kot (2009) indicates, this generation has single-handedly been instrumental in changing the face of the music industry through the increased use of file-sharing programs and promoting their favorite bands via social networking websites like MySpace and PureVolume. With these websites and other services like iTunes, music is now more accessible and more emotionally connectable than ever before.

Speaking in general terms, however, the real focus of this project is in the use of audio as a tool to facilitate social interaction by way of location-based services. As the aforementioned research has shown, a significant lack of inter-personal communication has developed as a direct result of technological advancement and the subsequent facilitation of online social interaction. Additionally, taking note of the on-going persistence of auditory features in handheld devices and online social mediums, audio-based interactions have yet to be established in conjunction with Location-Based services as a further means of connecting people either physically, emotionally, or sensorially. It is therefore the intention of this particular project to re-establish the physical realm as a venue for members of a given social group to communicate and interact with one another. In order to facilitate this, current and future technologies will be used, most notably Social Networking mediums, integrated sensors, and location-based services.

Note that, while the auditory portion of this product remains quite firmly integrated into the handheld device, the actual functions will ideally lie outside of the physical device and deal mainly with auditory perception and the underlying emotional attachment to the user. It is primarily the auditory signal processing that will facilitate the physical connections between members of a given social network.

References
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Konecni, Vladimir J.. "Does Music Induce Emotion? A Theoretical and Methodological Analysis." Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, no. 2 (2008): 115-129.

Kot, Greg. Ripped: How the Wired Generation Revolutionized Music. New York: Scribner, 2009.