Last year it was reported that for 4 decades global development had followed the pessimistic scenario projected in 1972 in Limits to Growth. 2015 was projected as the start of the outward signs of decay. And here’s one of them:
World Health Organisation data shows increasing hearing damage in developed economies from partying, and other stuff. It says 1.1 billion teenagers and young adults are at risk of permanently damaging their hearing by listening to “too much, too loudly”.
So the media device is helping us corrupt social behaviour – people don’t talk to each other, they text etc. And is helping us make ourselves deaf too.
The louder the noise (measured in decibels), the faster it damages the ear. The WHO’s safe listening times are:
- 85 dB – the level of noise inside a car – eight hours
- 90 dB – lawn mower – two hours 30 minutes
- 95 dB – an average motorcycle – 47 minutes
- 100 dB – car horn or underground train – 15 minutes
- 105 dB – mp3 player at maximum volume – four minutes
- 115 dB – loud rock concert – 28 seconds
- 120 dB – vuvuzela or sirens – nine seconds
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