Słuchając miasta // słuchając w mieście. Spacer dźwiękowy ze słuchawkami
Listening to the city // listening in the city. A soundwalk with headphones

Summary/Abstract: In this article, I discuss listening to music with a portable personal player and headphones in an urban space while performing various activities: walking/strolling in the streets, shopping, queueing or traveling on public transport. This kind of behavior combines private and social aspects, as all routine activities in the city space are accompanied by sound. The urban space is a source of varied auditory experiences, and the sounds absorb people's attention intentionally (as in the case of listening to music on the street using a portable player and headphones), or unintentionally. For an individual, listening with headphones in an urban environment is a way to construct a private space in the area inhabited by many people, and to isolate oneself from the sounds of the surroundings. A walk in a city street with headphones on is a conscious choice of an individual, related to lifestyle, cultivating a certain fashion, a mode of self-promotion and reflecting other people's expectations, which is associated with playing roles in social contexts. People listen to music through headphones and provide a consciously planned music tracklist, co-creating their own sound environment.

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