Silent Alarm: The Mosquito Youth Deterrent and the Politics of Frequency

Akiyama, Mitchell

doi:10.22230/cjc.2010v35n3a2261

Cited by 26 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 15 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…It is well known that HFCs with specific structure ranging between audible and inaudible frequencies induce avoidance behaviors in humans (e.g., the so-called mosquito alarm [8] , [9] ). Contrary to the hypersonic effect, the mosquito alarm may arouse a sense of displeasure in humans.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequencies of Inaudible High-Frequency Sounds Differentially Affect Brain Activity: Positive and Negative Hypersonic Effects

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The hypersonic effect is a phenomenon in which sounds containing significant quantities of non-stationary high-frequency components (HFCs) above the human audible range (max. 20 kHz) activate the midbrain and diencephalon and evoke various physiological, psychological and behavioral responses. Yet important issues remain unverified, especially the relationship existing between the frequency of HFCs and the emergence of the hypersonic effect.In this study, to investigate the relationship between the hypersonic effect and HFC frequencies, we divided an HFC (above 16 kHz) of recorded gamelan music into 12 band components and applied them to subjects along with an audible component (below 16 kHz) to observe changes in the alpha2 frequency component (10–13 Hz) of spontaneous EEGs measured from centro-parieto-occipital regions (Alpha-2 EEG), which we previously reported as an index of the hypersonic effect.Our results showed reciprocal directional changes in Alpha-2 EEGs depending on the frequency of the HFCs presented with audible low-frequency component (LFC). When an HFC above approximately 32 kHz was applied, Alpha-2 EEG increased significantly compared to when only audible sound was applied (positive hypersonic effect), while, when an HFC below approximately 32 kHz was applied, the Alpha-2 EEG decreased (negative hypersonic effect). These findings suggest that the emergence of the hypersonic effect depends on the frequencies of inaudible HFC.

show abstract

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Frequencies of Inaudible High-Frequency Sounds Differentially Affect Brain Activity: Positive and Negative Hypersonic Effects

et al. 2014

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…These sounds, known as "Mosquito tones," have been found to be audible only to people under the age of about 25 (Education.com, 2013). Because of the common assumption that when a number of young people gather, they will be up to no good, stores and certain public institutions have hired security companies to install machines that make these noxious sounds (Akiyama, 2010). The aim is that the groups will disperse or gather elsewhere.…”

Section: Identifying "Them" and "Us"mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The aim is that the groups will disperse or gather elsewhere. Because some of the locations include transit stops and public buildings, some have said that this is a discriminatory act that unreasonably limits young people's access to institutions and services that should be equally available to all (Akiyama, 2010).…”

Section: Identifying "Them" and "Us"mentioning

confidence: 99%

How Young People are Healing the World: An Activist Reflects on the Tikkun Youth Project

Mclaughlin¹

2019

Tikkun Beyond Borders: Connecting Youth Voices, Leading Change

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Young people everywhere face prejudice and discrimination. They are targeted for the same reasons older people are-because of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender, disability, or social status. They may live in societies where they face violence and deep personal strife. In addition to all of this, youth face the additional burden of discrimination on the grounds of their age. Most societies do not see young people as full citizens worthy of having a voice. Despite these barriers, the young people who participated in the Tikkun Youth Project, from five very disparate sites and demographics, demonstrated remarkable resilience, creativity, and willingness to engage with their communities. As an activist, I examined the civic engagement and rights-awareness of the young activist-researchers who appear in the international media, as well as those participating in the Tikkun Youth Project. I conclude, with some optimism, that young people are not waiting to become leaders: they are taking the reins and are making a positive difference-today. 67 | How Young People are Healing the World A young man named Aphiwe, who was from the community called Khayelitsha, an informal township in the South African city of Cape Town, told me a story. He was out for an evening with his friends. They were drinking beer (perhaps underage) in a hot and crowded venue when he decided to step outside for a breath of air, bringing his drink with him. As he was standing in front of the building, he was approached by several police officers. They told him it was illegal for him to be outside with his drink. He asked them why. They responded by beating him and breaking both his arms. "Did you complain to the authorities?" I asked him. He looked at me as if I had not understood what he had told me. If asking the simple question "Why?" of a police officer could result in a severe beating, did I not understand what complaining about police would do? Aphiwe was cared for by his friends who were also activists. They helped him get medical attention and kept him in the group while he recovered. This young man knew his town and understood the likelihood that a police complaint would result in further injury, or even worse consequences. Unlike some of us from more privileged communities, Aphiwe understood what it means to live with violence. As I was writing this chapter, I received the dreadful and tragic news that Aphiwe had been murdered. While I do not know the details, I was given to understand that his death was the result of a robbery gone terribly wrong. Aphiwe had only just learned that he had been accepted into a special program for talented young artists, likely the first person in his family to attend a post-secondary institution. His loss is immeasurable for his community, his family, and for his fellow activists. In all of the Tikkun study sites, we will continue to think about Aphiwe and mourn the loss we all feel for the brilliance he brought into our lives. I am an activist. I have spent much of my life enraged about injustice wheneve...

show abstract

“…A second way we sometimes reduce technology to a thin object is when we equate it with a material base that completely shapes our relationships. Such a reduction of the Mosquito to a force happens when the device is accused of creating, not preventing, antisocial behavior (Akiyama, 2010). The argument is that the sound made by the Mosquito to drive away youths replaces the dialogue between adults and teenagers (Lee and Motzkau, 2011, 2012).…”

Section: From Thin To Thick: Intermediaries and Mediatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The argument is that the sound made by the Mosquito to drive away youths replaces the dialogue between adults and teenagers (Lee and Motzkau, 2011, 2012). Those authors note that adults are thus relinquishing their educational duties to the Mosquito, thereby possibly contributing to youth’s antisocial behavior (Akiyama, 2010). While it may give technology some power, such a conceptualization transforms it into a flat determinant force, robbing technology of its capacity to resist and surprise us.…”

Section: From Thin To Thick: Intermediaries and Mediatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toward a slow criminology of sociotechnical orderings: A tale of many youth repellents

Savoie

Dufresne

Robert

2017

Theoretical Criminology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Taking the material turn can contribute to renewing the discipline and sustaining the development of a slow criminology. Treating objects as mediators and acknowledging their ontological multiplicities protect us from our reflex to condemn rather than analyze them. Using the example of the ‘youth repellent’, we document three of its instantiations: a spatial fluidity device; a pain delivery mechanism; and an environmental pollution agent. This exploration forces us to expand the borders of the discipline to embrace others such as audiology and epidemiology. While these detours slow our analysis, they are the price we must pay for doing justice to the messiness of the human and non-human associations that constitute the fabric of our world.

show abstract

Silent Alarm: The Mosquito Youth Deterrent and the Politics of Frequency

Cited by 26 publications

References 15 publications

Frequencies of Inaudible High-Frequency Sounds Differentially Affect Brain Activity: Positive and Negative Hypersonic Effects

Frequencies of Inaudible High-Frequency Sounds Differentially Affect Brain Activity: Positive and Negative Hypersonic Effects

How Young People are Healing the World: An Activist Reflects on the Tikkun Youth Project

Toward a slow criminology of sociotechnical orderings: A tale of many youth repellents

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About