Technology and Culture

abstract:

This essay discusses the significance of visual images in sound studies. The field of sound studies allows us to focus on hearing and soundscapes in cultural experiences and has challenged the primacy of vision as a framework for social analysis. This issue's cover shows Japanese Emperor Hirohito examining Type 90 Air Sound Detectors (also known as "war tubas") in 1936. From the mid-1930s to the early 1940s, these acoustic locators featured not only in experts' books but also in air-defense and military textbooks and in popular Japanese magazines. Magazines for young people highlighted their visuality rather than their actual functioning, mechanisms, and technicality. This essay demonstrates that the acoustic locator's visuality was instrumental for public relations, while its auditory function served practical military purposes. The image suggests that visuals play a vital role in studying the complex ecologies of sound.