The case for playing music out loud in public

Recently, I've been seeing some discourse on Twitter on people using their devices in public areas, like on public transport or restaurants, but with audio playing out of the speaker, instead of using headphones or muting their devices.

This is widely viewed as antisocial behaviour, and one of the annoying things that have been exacerbated by the prevalence of short-form video content... Having to hear the same repetitive, pitched-up or slowed-down audio sample multiple times a day can drive one crazy.

How technology drives this behaviour

Aside from everyone using TikTok nowadays, there's also the fact that wireless headphones are the default option for audio devices. I deplore the fact that phone manufacturers no longer include an audio jack in their newer models, and it's still something I seek out when I look for a phone. See, wired headphones don't run out of battery — they don't have one. Wireless headphones do, and that could be a reason why most just choose to use their speakers, not to mention the difficulty of connecting bluetooth speakers sometimes...

It's not just playing audio and video out loud. Before that, the gripe was focused on people taking calls on loudspeaker, let alone calls at all, in public. This is an older faux pas, and Twitter user @ratlimit puts it well:

https://t.co/FbfAd2wGfk pic.twitter.com/15LGxrmqns

— @ratlimit (@ratlimit) April 21, 2025

I don't get it. I'm still one to prefer texting over calling; it's just far more convenient and legible, although without real-time responsiveness. Anyway, it's not so much the action itself that's antisocial, but the person. It's just better if you're taking a call or listening to something that you at least bear other people in mind and minimize the volume.

Some people have chimed in on this discourse with the counterpoint that this line of thought is fascist and disproportionately targets poorer people, who tend to ride public transport and may not even be able to afford earphones. I still think one has an obligation not to create noise pollution. If you don't have earphones, I think you can at least afford to go without sound when you scroll on your choice of short-form video content platform... or put the damn phone down for once! (Maybe... the boomers were right?)

The case for cyclists

I don't know if it's just me, but just about every cyclist (rather, PMD user) finds the need to play their music out loud. Now that delivery riders are a common job, I have noticed more and more of them in public. Hard not to, anyway.

I cycle sometimes to get places that aren't worth a bus short bus ride (~$1 one way), like going to the market. Well, I've also used my bike for longer commutes, like 30 minutes one-way to the gym or to my part-time job. Those days when I had more free time were the best, and it was plenty good for my health too. My bike cost me $300, which I bought in 2018, so I think I've more than made up for the cost of petty public transport over the past few years.

I like to ride on sidewalks. I'm not too big on riding on the road, and I try not to be "that" entitled cyclist; I give way to pedestrians and slow down when I have to. When I lost my bicycle bell (actually it was a squeaky rubber duck) and a spare one broke, that was when I realised how much they aided my commute. The hardest part of not having a bell was having to get around people on shared pathways. You don't notice how little space there is or how much space you could be taking most of the time.

I'm rather softspoken, so it was hard for me to call out to people in front of me. I did sometimes, but even then, some may have their headphones in. What I did was to cycle over drain covers, and the rapidly approaching rattling noises would signal to people that there's a bicycle behind. That did the trick 90% of the time. The other times, I just slowed down and tried to find an opportunity to go around. I eventually got the bell replaced.

Music on the bike

Having these experiences, I see the point of blaring music out loud when cycling. It's a constant signal of your approach, and together with phenomena like the Doppler Effect, one can pretty easily triangulate not just how far away you are, but also the direction you're approaching from. This sets it apart from bicycle bells; you can't exactly tell where the sound is coming from, one just assumes it's from behind you.

And with the delivery riders that are always playing music, they commute for a living, so it makes sense that their music is on all the time, because they must encounter pedestrians more often than the average cyclist. I don't quite like their taste of music, which is usually Manyao, but I get it. These genres of music, which are EDM at its core, are typically part of hours-long playlists, designed to be played in the clubs with a consistent underlying beat. That consistency aids the listener in detecting their presence. Of course, I still think the reason they play it is because they enjoy it.

I enjoy music and singing along in the car or on the bike, so I get it. I'm in no position to judge. If I'm spending that much time alone on the job, the least I could do is to enjoy it. And, fine, I do enjoy my fair share of EDM on the bike, particularly Dom Whiting's Drum and Bass on the Bike.