Portable music players help bridge the generation gap

Jan. 2, 2006
By JOSEPH M. DELEON News-Post Staff
jdeleon@fredericknewspost.com

   FREDERICK— When Holly Benson, 63, decided to take another step into the 21st century, she didn't expect it would cause family friction.
     The grandmother of three moved to Frederick three years ago to be close to her daughter Karen Briar. That's when Ms. Benson bought her first computer.
     “I felt like I was finally connected,” Ms. Benson said. “My daughter helped me figure out how to do e-mails and check my statements online, but I still get stuck sometimes.”
     When her 9-year-old granddaughter Jessica Briar got a portable digital music player, an iPod nano, for Christmas last year, Ms. Benson considered getting more connected to the digital age.
     A growing number of people are buying portable digital music players — the fastest growing market in portable consumer electronics, according to the Consumer Electronics Association.
     Potable digital music players are now present in more than a quarter of U.S. households, or about 27.7 million homes, accounting for more than $4.2 billion in revenues in 2005, according to the association. More than 33.2 million households are expected to have the players in 2007.
     Ms. Benson got an iPod nano for Christmas, while her 7-year-old granddaughter Michelle Briar got an iPod shuffle, a smaller version of the popular player. Ms. Benson's daughter, Karen Briar, has owned an iPod for years.
     “I thought it would be a way to bond with the girls,” she said. “Everyone has one, so I thought I would see what the fuss was about.”
Different strokes
     After the family opened gifts on Christmas Eve, Ms. Benson asked her granddaughters to help her figure out the new gadget. That's when the problems started.
“I knew they would be preoccupied with the gifts they got, so I just set it aside,” Ms. Benson said. “Christmas Day we sat down at the computer — that didn't last long.”
     A quarrel over the best way to load music broke out between the girls. After the debate was settled, Ms. Benson's granddaughters rushed through the steps so fast, she couldn't remember them.
     When she asked them to repeat the steps, the girls got annoyed. Even Ms. Benson's daughter grew impatient with her.
     “It makes you feel stupid when you have a 7-year-old telling you how to do something and you can't keep up,” Ms. Benson said. “What was supposed to bring us together was driving a wedge between us.”
     For Andie Horman, 67, relying on her 16-year-old granddaughter Lindsey Penn was different. Lindsey repeated the steps several times and spotted mistakes as Ms. Horman made them.
     The two sat together for hours listening to music. She was surprised her granddaughter knew the words to songs by Harry Belafonte and Johnny Cash.
     “We may have different tastes, but she introduced me to something new and I like to think some of my music has touched her as well,” she said. “I've always believed music brings people together.”
     Ms. Benson finally got help from a neighbor, who sometimes helps with yard work. After a few false starts, she loaded several CDs onto her iPod, including tracks from her favorite musical, “My Fair Lady.”
     Her granddaughters still tease her about the way she uses her iPod. Ms. Benson only listens to music at home and prefers full-sized headphones to the ear buds included with the iPod.
     “It's like so many things in our homes these days, remote controls, cell phones and now these iPods,” she said. “The young click them with ease, and we just stare in amazement.”