01/06/2026
Much of the technology in MAVtech’s exhibits was designed to be shared. The family would crowd around the radio (or TV), share the camera- or would go out to the cinema together. But one piece of technology changed all of this- the 1979 Sony Walkman.
The Walkman was personal technology- usually just one person listened to it at a time. The first Walkmans had two headphone jacks and a ‘hotline switch’ which lowered the volume so people could have a conversation with their headphones on. But consumers didn’t like this idea, and they were soon removed.
In 1984, Professor Shuhei Hosokawa coined the term ‘Walkman Effect’ to describe how navigating the world in your own bubble of sound made everyday experiences more pleasurable (during the Walkman’s heyday 30% more people walked for exercise). However, other commentators thought that it was isolating the listener, cutting off shared public experiences. Fears of distracted Walkman wearers stepping into traffic led some US Mayors to ban them in public places!
One look at groups of waiting people reveal eyes fixed on personal screens. The headphones may have disappeared, but the ‘Walkman Effect’ carries on!
MAVtech’s Walkman is a c.1986 model with an inbuilt radio.
