Music as Extended Self Paul G. Barretta, St. Bonaventure University Keywords: extended self, music, self-identity
EXTENDED ABSTRACT The present research asks if consumers use music as a form of extended self, and if so in what ways has the changing formats of music affected music as extended self.
Research Question
Using a web page designed with open-ended questions and no word limit for responses music consumers provided descriptions of their music collections. Content analysis of responses and follow-up emails was designed to specifically capture respondents’ thorough descriptions of what their music collections meant to them using an electronically based data gathering strategy; the guidelines with which those responses were coded were guided by, but not limited to, the findings of Belk (1989; 2013; 1988). Cross-case and within-case analysis (Miles and Huberman 1994) were used to identify major themes, minor themes, and relationships among them.
Method and Data
Findings indicate music is a form of extended self, and that dematerialization and digital clutter affect consumers in different ways. In addition, two new aspects of extended self, when using music as a context, emerge: Escape and Access. In terms of escape sought, there is evidence that consumption of music is not the only vehicle for escape; so is maintenance of the collection itself. On a more abstract level, one must also explore the effect that a digitized music collection has on the extended self and sharing. Digital music allows a music consumer to extend his or her self by escaping to a virtual world where sharing is more effective, similar to
Summary of Findings
varying forms of experiential engagement in digital gaming (Calleja 2010).
Belk (2013) explores the topic of increased access through dematerialization of content, shared cyberspace, and by pointing out in future research that links rather than objects might constitute collections. The present research indicates that music collectors seem to identify where their self resides when dealing with changing forms of access. Some respondents indicate their extended self is in the intangible music; others indicate their extended self resides in the physical collection of vehicles that carry the music. There is a great deal of difference among respondents with regard to where their extended self resides – in the music or in the format that carries their music. There are degrees of physical versus digital that coincide with degrees of ownership. Physical units can be owned, played, and displayed; digital collections can be owned and stored with no individual tangibility to the point where people have more songs than they could listen to even if they spent every waking hour of the rest of their lives wearing headphones. Virtual playlists on websites such as Spotify and Rdio can be owned in the more emotional sense of the word; while a song is not purchased or downloaded, it can still reflect one’s extended self in a public space and shared with others, providing not only support for music as extended self, but also an added dimension to how one’s extended self interacts with those of others. Methodologically, the use of invited Internet based descriptions is explored.
Key Contributions
References are available on request.
For further information contact: Paul G. Barretta, Assistant Professor, St. Bonaventure University (e-mail:
[email protected]).
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2014 AMA Summer Educators’ Proceedings
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