"Digital drugs" panic hypochondriac-paranoid parents

Back in the '80s and early '90s, a series of rather silly movies and stories had everyone wondering whether a computer virus could somehow "cross over" and infect carbon-based lifeforms. (In truth, there are probably still people out there who think this today.)

Now technophobes are worried about a new phenomenon called idosers, digital music that can allegedly mess with your mind and "mimic the effects of alcohol and marijuana," according to USA Today's Kim Komando, the latest to sound the alarm.

The theory behind idosers involves "binaural beats." Listen to one (example here) and you'll immediately understand the concept: It's ambient noise that sends different tones to the left and right channel (often rapidly oscillating between them). When you listen to it with headphones it is supposed to "create a new frequency" in your brain, one which can create either a more relaxed state or a more alert one. Thus: "Digital drugs."

Having sampled a few "doses" with names like "Viagra," "Peyote," and "Opium," I can safely say that the only psychological impact these have is to induce a mild headache. The tones are loud and annoying and inharmonious, and each time I've felt pretty much the same after as before, only increasingly annoyed. In fact, I'm "high" on digital heroin as I write this. If there is any mental impact from these things it is pretty clearly psychosomatic: If you think an MP3 can make you feel drunk, then maybe you really can zone yourself into acting that way, though I can see how a soothing MP3 track could calm you down after a hard day at junior high. (As a side note I'll also add that some people fear that idoser-type software is simply a cleverly disguised way to get malware onto your computer.)

Of course, I'm not a doctor. The USA Today story notes a Duke University study that says the beats "can affect mood and motor performance." Another doctor quoted is unconvinced but says that using the tracks "could indicate a willingness to experiment with drugs and other dangerous behavior."

Who knew the iPod would become the latest gateway drug?

LINK: Web delivers new worry for parents: Digital drugs

POLL: Do idosers work for you?