Podcasts are all the rage these days. They have become an integral part of our lives. Everyone has listened to a podcast at some point, because there are podcasts out there that everyone finds interesting. With so many different topics and stories, there is something for everyone.
I only started listening to podcasts during the coronavirus pandemic. I feel like the whole concept of podcasting came about during this period. This makes perfect sense, because people suddenly had time on their hands. The graph below also shows that since the coronavirus pandemic began, people have had more time to express their creativity, and podcasting is an easy way to do that. After that, this upward trend only continued to rise. I think people kept listening to a particular show and still want to hear it all.
Podcasts are great to hear as a listener. You can choose what you want to listen to and then hear a conversation or story about it. The handy thing about podcasts is that you can listen to them while doing other things. This makes them ideal for multitasking, because you only need to listen to the audio and don’t necessarily have to stare at a screen.
Podcasts are actually very personal too. A good podcast makes you feel like you’re sitting at the table and being part of the conversation. It all feels very personal, as if they are really talking to you. I really like this, because if, for example, you have been working all day and haven’t seen anyone else all day, it’s a kind of “social” moment for me. It may sound a bit sad, but sometimes you have those days when you don’t really have any social contact, and then I always recharge a bit from a podcast like this.
Podcasts go much deeper than newspaper articles or news reports. You can add much more emotion and description. I was recently in Finland at an exhibition about the conflicts in Palestine. There were photos stuck to the walls with explanatory texts. But as I walked further into the exhibition, there was also a room with one large photo and audio accompanying it. It was a podcast recorded in that conflict area. This affected me deeply, because you hear the real emotions and reactions of people who are in terrible circumstances. It stayed with me all day and kept running through my head. It’s really crazy how much impact sounds and words can have on a person.
Podcasts are actually relatively easy to make, but they can have such a big impact that you can really touch people with your words. This is really impressive, because many people do this on television, but then you have visual and audio contact. With a podcast, you touch people just as much, but you only use audio to do so. Podcasts are often much more personal, with people sharing their own stories and opinions. This makes it feel like you are right in the middle of the conversation. I think this adds real value, which is why I am a big fan of podcasts and listen to them regularly.
Sources:
- Activestills – Documenting life, death and resistance in Palestine | Suomen valokuvataiteen museo. (z.d.). https://www.valokuvataiteenmuseo.fi/en/exhibitions/activestills-documenting-life-death-and-resistance-palestine
- S, C. (2022, 14 februari). 32+ Podcast Statistics for 2024 (Data and Charts). Resound. https://www.resound.fm/blog/podcast-statistics
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