Blog #3 I-Dosing

For this blog post I decided to investigate I-Dosing further because MySpace just doesn't really interest me and I really didn't want to have to venture onto chat-roulette for obvious reasons. I have never heard the term "I-Dosing prior to this, however I have heard of binaural beats. I knew that some people claimed that binaural beats had certain effects on the brain and could even lull the listener into a type of hypnotic trance. From what I heard these results were advertised as not only a good thing but also as a legitimate use for binaural beats, not as some sort of synthetic digital drug. However it was also explained to me how there really is not science behind the use of binaural beats and that its claims have never been proven, so I went into my I-Dosing experience with few expectations. Low and behold I was not transformed into a drugged out zombie intent on ingesting everything in the snack drawer. I watched a few different videos and while they were interesting to listen to all I really got out of it was the relaxation of laying in my bed in the dark for 20 minutes listening to a soft humming noise.

 I absolutely don't think that any moral panic is valid towards I-Dosing. (I also don't think there is anymore) Since there is really no actual scientific evidence behind it and the effects have never been proven in a lab I don't think this should be seen as anything more than another cheap marketing ploy, whether it is sold as "digital drugs" or simply binaural beats that can somehow affect brainwaves in any sort of positive manner. It does make sense to me, however, how when this first came out there could be a sort of public moral panic. Seeing as no research was available at the time, but more importantly it combined two things that scared parents the most: young kids with computers/technology and the possibility of these kids doing drugs it makes sense that this got media attention. Today, though, I feel like it has died down as people have realized that this is not a valid concern. At its worst it acts on a persons vulnerability to the placebo effect and at its best its an entertaining way to relax to an interesting mixture of frequencies through headphones.