People Lament (And Defend) the 'Forced Switch' From Wired to Bluetooth Headphones

Ada Elder

Feb 8, 2023 9:00 AM EST

As technology progresses over the years, there always seems to be a number of people stomping their feet in protest. When I was younger, I would always dismiss these people as Luddites - until Apple took away our precious headphone jack back in 2017. For about two or three years, playing music from an iPhone got a bit more complicated. IPhone users were forced to buy dongles, and impromptu DJ sessions at friends' houses or at bars involved a frantic search for these adaptors. It was frustrating, and then we got used to it.

I thought these transitions were behind us, and then wired headphones started disappearing altogether. As an ADHD-afflicted individual who is organizationally challenged, the wires were the only thing keeping me tethered to my headphones. If someone gave me airpods, I'd 100% lose them within the first week. Going by the sheer number of airpods I see on my commute every day, I assumed I was alone in my lamentation of this frustrating shift. Thanks to Twitter user @lynchtwinpeaks, I now know that I am not.

In a now-viral tweet last week, @lynchtwinpeaks shared the following sentiment:

"Not to sound like a boomer but the forced switch from wired headphones/earphones to bluetooth is one of the worst technological advancements of our time"

My first thought was "Finally, somebody gets it." It seems many other Twitter users are inclined to agree. The vast majority of replies call out the obvious capitalist scheme - and its environmental impact. While some dissenters do make good points, we're feeling pretty damn vindicated. You can catch the most stimulating contributions to the discussion below.