Constant Contact
Do you remember the last time you were alone with your thoughts? For most of us, it’s probably been a while. Before the podcast explosion in 2005 when iTunes officially sanctified its format, grabbing groceries, doing laundry, and getting dressed for work were solo activities that left you wrapped in introspection. Today’s modern chaotic mind struggles to quiet itself like that; the need for stimulation has become hardwired in a noisy society that’s forgotten how to be bored.
Luckily for society’s wandering mind, podcasts came into play, surpassing music as the most popular form of aural entertainment for a few key reasons. With podcasts, listeners can multitask, playing charismatic conversations on their earbuds and entertaining themselves, while getting their errands done. Enriching their minds with titillating conversations on pertinent or interesting topics, while simultaneously checking off items on the to-do list is hard to resist.
Following their popularity, podcasts quickly snowballed into an enormous, moneymaking, fame machine, promoting personal magnetism for all to enjoy and platforming creators without discrimination. And I mean no discrimination whatsoever…
“We Should Start a Podcast”
In our modern society, it’s not difficult to get your 15 minutes of fame. Back before the Internet, fame-chasers would have to run down a breaking news van or win a radio contest to get their voices heard on the broadcasting airwaves. These days, however, all you need is a computer. Flexing mild technological skills, any random person can create content online, and there’s nothing easier than creating a podcast.
Set up a microphone, find a friend, and start yapping.
Obviously, there’s more to it for wildly successful podcasts like The Joe Rogan Experience or Crime Junkie, but until an aspiring creator reaches 50 million subscribers (or more) like Rogan, they can start their podcast journey fairly simply. You can create a podcast about pretty much any topic and your niche audience will find you. This accessibility is why there are more than 4.5 million podcasts available online right now, which is absurd. Are there even 4.5 million things to talk about or have an opinion on? Certainly not, but that’s not stopping people from trying their hand at a chance for fame, a fruitful exclusivity contract, and most importantly, influence.
Many podcast regulars admit that they feel a genuine connection with their favorite podcasters, with some claiming they feel a sense of kinship or friendship with online strangers. Colin Myers, a journalist from Medium, calls out the parasocial relationship, defining this phenomenon as a one-sided emotional connection between viewers and media figures. It’s nothing new in our society, and parasocial relationships have been recognized since society’s 1950’s obsession with movie stars, but podcasting has given parasocial relationships a modern twist. Myers says, “[Podcasts] aren’t five minute talk show appearances, they are three hour confessionals whispered into your ears while you fold laundry, [taking] ambient intimacy on a whole new level.”
Via u/LeoSenior
Unlike the content of the past that was cut, dried, and curated for quick consumption, podcasts are lengthy, rambling, and pride themselves on facilitating multitasking. Pseudo kinship is formed just from the sheer volume of exposure, amplifying a feeling of connectivity. Hours of one-sided conversation is shared between listeners and a podcaster, which is far more than most can say about their closest real life friendships.
From a social perspective, that’s a lot of clout.
As it is with many of our close friends, we tend to value their opinions more than a stranger, and this provides a uniquely influential platform for many podcasters that could be easy to exploit. The parasocial relationship may be one-sided, but a podcaster’s moral dilemma on how they wield their fame is multifaceted. As Uncle Ben famously said to Peter Parker (aka Spider-Man), “With great power, comes great responsibility.” Podcasters carry a lot of power and authority, and are arguably the most influential talking heads in history.
Via u/sedric2007
Listening Ears
Busy people like to be spoonfed their opinions. Simplifying the entire critical thought process, assimilating our favorite podcaster’s assessments is a quick and easy way to absorb the massive overload of information of daily life. Most people don’t have time or the bandwidth to wrap their head around the entire human experience every single day, which is why they gladly allow multitasking-friendly entertainment to flood their minds instead.
However, because tuning into the same echo chamber on a daily or weekly basis has a ton of influence over an audience’s opinion, podcasters are left with a moral quandary and the duty of shouldering their own personal accountability. Despite many podcasters showing up for their studio days with nonchalance and laid-back attitude, a lot of creators are still acutely aware of the parasocial relationships with their audience and the consequential effect of their channel on the masses. Thus, despite being a simple medium, a lot of podcasters approach their craft with the same dutiful attention and self-reflection as a therapist, parental figure, a niche authority, or a really close friend.
Because to many, that’s what they represent.
Podcasts are fruitful in a lot of ways, providing comfort, entertainment, and information to millions of listeners. While there are always going to be the manipulators, swindlers, and the clout chasers who will say anything to self-promote, there are also podcasters who are mindful, wise, representative, and supportive of their listeners. Exposure is a visceral form of persuasion, when it comes to podcasts, it’s up to the content creators to decide how they want to sway their listeners, and our responsibility to recognize their effect.
