Walk into any study hall, and you will notice a diverse pool of New Berlin West students listening to music with all sorts of preferences to help focus or just to relax. But how they listen to this music has changed. In the late 1990s to early 2010s, it was very popular for students to wear wired headphones; not only were they one of the only ways to connect to iPhones and other devices, but they were also stylish. Then in 2016, Apple released AirPods, Bluetooth earbuds with easy accessibility, alongside the iPhone 7, which were compatible with AirPods.
These attracted teenagers and made their way into schools. A glance at students’ ears in the hallway or classroom reveals that AirPods are still the most common choice for listening to music, but Apple gained competition when TikTok popularized Beats headphones, a trendy, over-the-ear headphone that was aesthetically pleasing to young teenagers. While Beats has been around for almost 20 years, they recently shifted their focus from sports campaigns to a more aesthetic fashion accessory.
When asked about the more prevalent headphone brand (AirPods or Beats), 30 students said AirPods. But one in six students preferred Beats. Interestingly, many students who responded with AirPods were actually wearing Beats headphones. Some people even stated they have specifically seen the Beats trend with underclassmen girls. While this has not been proven, there is no doubt that Beats are slowly making a comeback since their 2008 launch.
Lauren McLain, junior at NBW, has both AirPods and Beats. She says, “I prefer my AirPods for when I do certain exercises at the gym…I also prefer my AirPods when I am trying to get work done because they have noise-cancelling.” For some students like McLain, these earbuds can be smaller and more practical for exercising. McLain then explains, “I don’t have noise-cancelling Beats, but I do prefer my Beats for running, gym, and at-home wear for cleaning.”
As we approach the end of the school year, technology continues to evolve, creating new trends. Many students have conformed to these trends for a more aesthetic and practical look, but they all want to listen to music and “lock in” on schoolwork.
Between AirPods and Beats, what do you prefer to use to listen to music? Sorry, there was an error loading this poll.
