Mitchell, Damek

Technology Narrative
I recall a time when people didn’t use iPods, a time when listening to music on

the go meant carrying a huge cd case stuffed with albums and mix-tapes. The iPod of

my childhood was a little thing called a cd Walkman. I spent countless hours on the

commute to and from school sitting on the city bus with my headphones around my

ears, blasting music. Albums like Nelly’s Country Grammar and Tupac’s All Eyez On

Me may seem a little explicit and mature for a ten year old kid to listen to but the music

was so captivating and smooth that I couldn’t get enough. Everywhere I went when I

was in middle school became a music video; I would walk with the beat and sometimes

even listen to Hip-Hop while I slept, which can cause some interesting dreams. My Sony

Walkman completely changed my life and my understanding of the world around me.

Middle School was a very important part of my life because it was when I first got

a specific navy blue Sony Walkman that became my most vital piece of technology. I

began to discover new genres of music and new artists. I started memorizing entire

songs and reciting them without even fully understanding the meanings of the things I

listened to; however, the rhythm and way the rhymes seemed to flow along with the

music made me crave more and more.

Burning music onto blank compact discs became a daily routine. Every time I

popped in a cd I was transported into a world narrated by rappers like Nas and

Ludacris. I looked up to these rappers and I became a student of hip-hop, I wanted to

learn everything I could about the music that I enjoyed so much and I wanted to try and
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create some of my own. I had always played piano and sang as a child but before my

Walkman I had never attempted to rap or write rhymes.

Today I love to record and make my own hip-hop music with my friends back at

home and my friends here at Notre Dame. My ultimate goal is for people to appreciate

and enjoy my music as much as I enjoyed the music I once played on my Walkman.

Rappers like Tupac and Biggie Smalls made me think about issues that faced society

and I would often reflect on the messages that different songs addressed.

If I had never gotten my Walkman then my life today would me much different. I

can’t imagine those long rides on the bus without my cd player and my cd case. My

Walkman and I were inseparable; I honestly used it more than any other electronic

device besides my current cellphone. These days it’s hard to find anyone who still uses

a cd Walkman because of the current popularity of iPods and other mobile mp3 devices

but the Walkman will always be a classic example of modern technology and ingenuity

that helped shape my life into what it is today.

The one flaw in my cd player was that it was not invincible. My Walkman broke

when I was in the eighth grade because I accidently dropped it into a puddle. I never got

another Walkman because by the time I was in eighth grade, mp3 players had replaced

cd players as the music device of choice. I’ve had a few mp3 players since then but I

am currently without a music device because I can’t force myself to shell out all the

money for an iPod. I’ve just decided to wait for the next piece of revolutionary

technology and hope that it affects me in a positive manner like the Walkman has.
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Music is something that has always had a great deal of significance in my life and

I plan on enjoying music for the rest of my life. No matter what new devices come out or

what genres or songs I like listening to, I will always remember the days when I had to

change discs just to hear a different artist. I can never forget riding over bumps on the

bus and having to deal with a skipping cd player. Although these things might seem a

tad bit primitive in today’s touch screen society, I miss times such as those. Because

technology comes and goes but the impact of technology on a young person’s life is

something that will always be important. That Walkman made me the person I am today

and sparked my interest in hip-hop music that has turned into my favorite hobby:

rapping. It’s funny to think back on the impact of a simple cd player but technology is

something that changes people and their way of life forever and in this case I’m glad it

did.