Editing Walkman (section)

== Impact and legacy ==
{{See also|Walkman effect}}

Culturally the Walkman had a great effect and it became ubiquitous.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1999-09-14-9909130627-story.html|title=THE SOCIAL REVOLUTION OF WALKMAN|website=Sun Sentinel|date=14 September 1999 |accessdate=18 December 2022}}</ref> According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'', the Walkman's "unprecedented combination of portability (it ran on two AA batteries) and privacy (it featured a headphone jack but no external speaker) made it the ideal product for thousands of consumers looking for a compact portable stereo that they could take with them anywhere".<ref name=":1" /> According to ''[[The Verge]]'', "the world changed" on the day the Walkman was released.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2019/7/1/20677636/sony-walkman-anniversary-tps-l2-cassette-music-player-portable-mp3-evolution|title=40 years ago, the Sony Walkman changed how we listen to music|first=Chaim|last=Gartenberg|date=July 1, 2019|website=The Verge}}</ref>

The Walkman became an icon in 1980s culture.<ref name=":1" /> In 1986, the word "Walkman" entered the ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]''.<ref name=":1" /> Millions used the Walkman during exercise, marking the beginning of the [[aerobics]] fad.<ref name=":1" /> Between 1987 and 1997, the height of the Walkman's popularity, the number of people who said they walked for exercise increased by 30%.<ref name=":1" /> Other firms, including [[Aiwa]], [[Panasonic]] and [[Toshiba]], produced similar products, and in 1983 cassettes outsold vinyl for the first time.<ref name=":1" />

The Walkman has been cited as influencing people's relationship with music and technology, due to its "solitary" and "personal" nature, as users were listening to their music of choice instead of radio. It has been seen as a precursor of personal mainstream tech possessions such as personal computers or mobile phones.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/entertainment/music/rewind-how-the-Walkman-changed-the-world--26551309.html|title=Rewind: How the Walkman changed the world . . .|website=independent|date=15 July 2009 }}</ref> [[Headphone]]s also started to be worn in public. This caused safety controversies in the US, which in 1982 led to the mayor of [[Woodbridge Township, New Jersey|Woodbridge, New Jersey]] banning Walkman from being worn in public due to pedestrian accidents.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/woodbridge/walkmans-banned-woodbridge-yes-law-still-books|title=Walkman Banned in Woodbridge? Yes, Law Is Still on the Books|date=September 29, 2016|website=Woodbridge, NJ Patch}}</ref>

In the market, the Walkman's success also led to great adoption of the Compact Cassette format. Within a few years, cassettes were outselling [[Phonograph record|vinyl]] records, and would continue to do so until the [[compact disc]] (CD) overtook cassette sales in 1991.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.stuff.tv/my/features/sony-walkman-history-40-year-anniversary-malaysia-2019|title=How The Sony Walkman Changed All Walks Of Life In 40 Years|website=Stuff|date=11 June 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kodakdigitizing.com/blogs/news/when-did-cds-take-a-front-seat-to-the-cassette-tape|title=When did CD's Take a Front Seat to the Cassette Tape|website=Kodak Digitizing}}</ref>

In German-speaking countries, the use of "Walkman" became generic, meaning a personal stereo of any make, to a degree that the Austrian [[Supreme Court of Justice (Austria)|Supreme Court of Justice]] ruled in 2002 that Sony could not prevent others from using the term "Walkman" to describe similar goods. It is therefore an example of what marketing experts call the "[[genericide]]" of a brand.<ref name="Batey16_140"/>

A large statue of a Sports Walkman FM was erected in Tokyo's [[Ginza]] district in 2019 in celebration of the 40th anniversary.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.ft.com/content/8512e630-b204-11e9-8cb2-799a3a8cf37b |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/8512e630-b204-11e9-8cb2-799a3a8cf37b |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|title=Japan's reverence for the Sony Walkman is a deadweight|website= Financial Times|date=30 July 2019|last1=Lewis|first1=Leo}}</ref>

In 2025, a cassette Walkman from 1979 (model TPS-L2 ) was included in ''Pirouette: Turning Points in Design,'' an exhibition at the [[Museum of Modern Art]] featuring "widely recognized design icons [...] highlighting pivotal moments in design history."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sony Corporation, Tokyo. "Walkman" Portable Audio Cassette Player (model TPS-L2 ). 1979 |url=https://www.moma.org/collection/works/185344 |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=[[The Museum of Modern Art]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-01-23 |title=NASA Worm as Art, Museum of Modern Art Opens Exhibition Featuring NASA Worm |url=https://www.nasa.gov/get-involved/art-program/museum-of-modern-art-exhibits-nasa-worm/ |access-date=2025-04-16 |website=[[NASA]] |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>[https://press.moma.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/MoMA_Pirouette-Viewing-Checklist_Final.pdf Pirouette: Turning Points in Design]</ref>