The Airpods Agenda

Jayla Wright

Copy Editor 

Walk down the hallways of SLA and you’ll see little white devices nestled in students’ ears. Peak into a classroom and you may see sets of kids huddled together, sharing pairs of the wireless gadget. Look even closer, and you’d find more in other kids’ ears only obscured by intentionally obstructing hair and hats. These gadgets  are called AirPods, and they’re taking over SLA.

After the holiday season, gifted AirPods filled SLA. Underclassmen were affected most by this trend. Some wearing them openly, others in secret.

Memes on Instagram also appeared around the same time and portrayed AirPods users as rich, arrogant, and snobby. As these memes gained popularity, so did the stereotypes they created.

Despite this, freshmen Eamonn Carey openly wears his AirPods with pride. Ask him about his AirPods and he’d probably reply in a tune similar to the Instagram memes. However, despite his behavior, Carey does not follow the stereotypes at all. In fact, he doesn’t have a single sense of superiority. He simply finds the stereotype funny.

The memes also make Carey, as he put it, seen as “Kinda like an a**hole, but that’s okay.” The negative reputation of AirPods users causes two responses from the people who are mocked. Either laugh it off like Carey or modestly wearing the earbuds like Freshman Sophia Florence.

Florence prefers to hide her AirPods behind her long hair or refrain from wearing them in the hallways.

“I’m not the one to wear the AirPods to show people that I have them. I’m not like that.” says Florence.

Florence doesn’t flaunt her AirPods to avoid making those without them upset. She considers that people who can’t afford the devices might feel bad if she shows off what she has.

The Instagram memes have created negative connotations with AirPods. Has anything good come from this product?

Blue stream would have to say yes.

“In our stream, if you have AirPods and the other person doesn’t, we share.” States Florence.

Senior Eric Valenti SATs Mr. Kay’s freshmen class and believes AirPods, “worked as something that brings the freshmen closer in an odd way. It gave them something to joke about. I feel like when people meet each other the easy thing to do is always bring up a joke or something funny so I guess them having AirPods in is a conversation starter.”

“Our generation, now, we’re more connected to media. Simple social interactions are difficult. So I think that it’s positive in the way that it helps kids that are on the media more talk to each other.”

AirPods being wireless allows her to listen with classmates across the room. And to even become closer to her stream.

Despite what you have been lead to believe, AirPods can create good-natured interactions.