Mediated Listening: A Resource for Social Action

Abstract

On September 19, 2017, an earthquake shook central Mexico. Sixty buildings collapsed and about two hundred people died. A group of rescuers conformed of soundmen, soundwomen and audio engineers using their audio equipment, assisted in the search for survivors in the collapsed buildings possibly experiencing an epistemological break, and turning mediated listening into a resource for social action. While considering the usefulness of their gear in a chaotic context, they extended the boundaries of their profession, the use of technology and the manipulation of their body and listening mode for the common good, relearning the habit of listening. To present the case, the sociological theoretical framework of acoustic communication, the mediation and transformation of the body through the use of technology and some of the more propositive works of audio rescue technology have been reviewed. To frame this listening transformation, the testimony of the intervention of one of the members of the Red Sparrows Brigade is included and a review is made of some printed and audiovisual materials about and of the individuals and organizations that emerged as a result of these efforts.