Hush

Mack Hagood explores how noise-cancelling technologies create personal sonic safe spaces, revealing how race, gender, and class influence our desire to block sounds, while also examining the implications for social tolerance.

In Hush, Mack Hagood explores the concept of creating personal sonic safe spaces through various media technologies, such as noise-cancelling headphones, tinnitus maskers, and nature-sound mobile apps. He argues that the desire to block out certain sounds is influenced by broader social ideologies related to race, gender, and class. Over the past sixty years, these technologies have evolved, offering users the promise of refuge from the chaotic noise of contemporary life, exemplified by products like bedside white noise machines and the Beats by Dre campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick.

Hagood introduces the term orphic media to describe these devices, emphasizing that their primary function is not merely to transmit information, but to shape how individuals interact with their surroundings. By providing users with the ability to control their auditory experiences, these technologies reflect and reinforce societal norms and biases. As people seek to manage their environments in a world filled with distractions and overwhelming information, the implications of their choices become significant, revealing the underlying ideologies that drive their preferences.

While the ability to tune out unwanted noise can serve as a form of self-care, Hagood cautions that this practice may also diminish our capacity to tolerate sonic and social differences. He challenges readers to reconsider the impact of their attempts to isolate themselves from others and reexamines the relationship between media theory, sound studies, and the very essence of media itself. Through this thoughtful analysis, Hush invites a deeper understanding of the intersection between sound, identity, and the complexities of modern life.