the experience of Serendipity during shuffle listening
The aim of this study is to investigate engaging and meaningful experiences when we use interactive technologies - e.g. when listening to digital music. One such memorable experience is Serendipity.
experiencing serendipity in shuffle listening
The shuffle mode is an alternative mode of listening to digital music. A function available on most mp3 players, this allows the listener to abdicate choice to the digital music palyer, letting it choose the sequence of tracks randomly.
This kind of listening, where music is encountered in an unexpectedly/unpredictably may lead to some interesting experiences. One such experience reported is Serendipity (see below) - an experience that is potentially engaging, memorable and even transformative.
If such an experience is borne through shuffle listening, then what can we learn from it so that we can inform the design of other interactive devices that might also be able to support serendipitous discoveries?
studying shuffle listening: diary, audit & interview
I will recruit 10-20 participants (above 18 years old, across genders and range of occupations) who regularly listen to music in shuffle mode. To keep the device consistent, I am choosing screen-based iPods (either the video or nano) as the mp3 player.
Participants will be asked to keep a diary for up to 8 weeks. During this time, I will carry out 2 semi-structured interviews with each participant during which their music library (managed by iTunes) housed on their computers will also be audited. The main focus of the interviews is to further clarify and get participants to explain the contents of their diaries and audit information. The interviews will be audio-recorded.
For persevering with daily diary entries and interviews, each participant will be presented with a $30 iTunes voucher at the end of the study.
Here is a summary of the study timeline > word version (32kb) or pdf version (23kb)
serendipity
what is serendipity?
Serendipity is an enigmatic and evocative experience that defies easy translation. Most of us have encountered serendipity (albeit not all the time) in our everyday lives. Such as when a stray thought of someone we know, coincides shortly with an unexpected phone call from that same person. Of course the power of serendipity has also been associated with many major world events, scientific discoveries & inventions, as well as medical and world-changing discoveries.
Some people imbue it with 'magic' - attributing the chance or accidental encounter to the workings of the divine or the supernatural. "Oh!, its amazing, I could be a message..." or "It's just sooo spooky! Perhaps it is trying to tell me something." Others think that it is just 'coincidence. But whether regardless of the cause of the phenomenon, the outcomes are usually delightful, memorable and in the main, engages our attention. Here I define serendipity as 'coincidental occurences that is meaningful to us'. Simply put, serendipity is the meaningful experience of chance encounters .
Apart from shuffle listening, people also report encountering serendipity when using everyday technology such as the internet. This WWW is like an endless playground ripe for serendipitous retrievals, as we browse and meander from topic to topic while concurrently recognizing interesting and informative information en route.
a proposed typology of Serendipity arising through shuffle listening
(current conception following an online study)
After examining a considerable number of (self reported) listeners' accounts of Serendipity arising from shuffle listening from online sources, I propose 3 ways whereby serendipity can arise from the shuffle listening.
(1) Music track with internal state(s)
Here, serendipity occurs from the conjunction of music content with our internal states - when the track ‘magically’ underscores our current state of mind or prevailing mood, e.g. the lyrics of a song just ‘happen to’ speak directly to us at that moment, of a particular situation we are going through.
(2) Music track with external world
The second type of serendipity occurs from the conjunction of music content with the concrete external world - when the musical track happens to resonate with a particular physical setting, location, event or situation unfolding in the world during our listening of music. This is more so when we are listening on the move. See my story below for an example of this type of serendipity.
(3) Inter-track conjunction
Finally, the unexpected order of our encounter with the music could result in unanticipated revelations that are significant or meaningful to us. This type of serendipity arises out of inter-content conjunction- between two music tracks. For instance, the unexpected encounter with a piece of music after having just heard another piece of music could give rise to an entirely new realization, a new idea; something novel and unanticipated but yet traces of it are tenuously linked to both music tracks.
My own story of serendipity while shuffle-listening
It was my first trip to the USA and I was exploring New York City while listening to my iPod on shuffle when it suddenly began to rain. Not having an umbrella on me and not fancying getting wet, I saw that I was near a cathedral. So I ducked inside to wait out the rain and also rest my weary feet.
As I pushed past the heavy double wooden doors, I was immediately confronted by the dimly lit space. I felt the coolness of my surroundings settle onto my skin as my eyes strained to adjust to the dimly lit space. With the hustle and bustle of 5th Avenue shut out, I was immediately aware of how quiet it was. I could finally hear clearly the music track that was fed into my ears by my headphones. Tuning into it, I note that its sedate colour and stately pace matched my surroundings.
I scanned slowly across the huge space, counting no more than six people, scattered all over the church - all in prayer or quiet contemplation. I fixed my gaze on one of the many rows of empty pews and tip-toed slowly towards it. As I placed my bag down, the music track came to an end and at that moment, as I looked up to focus on the altar, to admire the beautifully illuminated carvings on the wall, my iPod began to play Caccini's Ave Maria. I was shocked. My entire being was suddenly heightened; aware of the consonance and incredulity of the moment. I couldn't have chosen a more perfect song myself to match that moment and the setting. The music was a sublime soundtrack to the beauty of my surroundings that had escaped me before. And as the aria soared gradually in rubato, and reaches familarly towards its heart wrenching climax,I was lost in my world, shrouded in the magic and mystery of the moment.
