Tinnitus attuning
Abstract
Through this audio paper, I aim to make audible the entangled soundscape of everyday life of which tinnitus is a part of, proposing a reconceptualization of tinnitus as a sociomaterial phenomenon. I examine how tinnitus is deeply embedded in everyday life, drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with 30 participants living with tinnitus, and experimenting with sound collages as a method to probe the relationships between sound and everyday life.
I introduce the concept of “tinnitus attuning”: the constant and invisible work of attuning people with tinnitus are doing to be able to participate in shared soundscapes and claim their space as “sonic citizens”. The audio paper illustrates how people with tinnitus engage complex strategies to navigate their auditory environments. By doing this I aim to challenge narrrow ideas of "good hearing" and to shift the common understanding of tinnitus from an individualized, embodied challenge – something one must "learn to live with" – to a focus on the shared, socio-material and affective perspectives of the phenomenon.
I highlight the significant responsibility borne by individuals with tinnitus in shaping both personal and shared sonic experiences, and conclude the audio paper by advocating for a broader understanding of aural diversity and collective responsibility in sonic citizenship.
Audio paper
Keywords
Bibliography
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