When did it become OK to blast TikToks in public?

There are deep roots behind the latest entry into public noise. It’s a now-common scenario: you’re using public transit, or waiting at the airport, or dining in a restaurant, when you hear the tinny music and computerized voice-overs of someone scrolling TikTok – no headphones.

This aggravated All Things Considered producer and writer Manuela López Restrepo enough to look into it. And what she found was a rich history of how public noise works in our culture: who is allowed to make (or avoid it), who gets punished – and the companies that seem to get off scot-free.

Manuela shares her reporting with Brittany and they dive deep into the politics and policy of noise. For more episodes about culture and civic life, check out: Is your neighborhood riddled with dog poop?

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