Speaker Scum: Controversial Travel Trend That’s Sparking Discussion on Social Media

Picture this: you're sitting in your designated airplane seat waiting for takeoff, eager to start your holiday and already imagining yourself lounging on the beach with a glass of icy cold mojito in one hand, when you hear the low, thumping beat of “Despacito” coming from your seat neighbor’s cell phone.  

There’s a term for that, speaker scum—the travel trend that has everyone discussing the best course of action on how to deal with these people. 

“Speaker Scum” is the term for those travelers who deserve to miss their flights or have their baggage rerouted to another destination (we’re kidding, of course... or are we?). These are the folks who, instead of using headphones, blast music or videos at full volume without consideration for other travelers. This travel trend has taken social media by storm, particularly Reddit, with users sharing their experiences.  

In the “r/unitedairlines” Reddit forum, a user asked for a term to call these people. One user coined the term “Speaker Scum” while another also suggested “Decibel Degenerates,” which both have a nice ring to them.  

One user shared that “United has added to their announcements asking passengers to silence device or use headphones,” but another commented that this is useless since those who should hear this "are using their speakers” and are not able to hear the announcement. 

In an interview with Fox News, Brandon Blewett, author of How to Avoid Strangers on Airplanes, said that this is now a common occurrence: “Most of the time, it’s people scrolling through Reels, YouTube Shorts or TikTok — or playing mobile games with the sound effects on.” 

However, he noticed that several airlines are becoming more aware of this annoying travel trend and have added a “quiet cabin policy” to their pre-flight announcements, reminding travelers to use headphones should they wish to listen to music or watch videos.