Podcasts: Revolutionizing Communication or Just A Waste of Time?

                    

      A while back, fellow blogger John wrote a post on his Technovation blog called “Podcaustic” in which he discussed the negative side of podcasts.  I found this topic intriguing so I thought I would post a repsonse on some of the issues he discussed.  First off, I must admit: I’ve never actually listened to a podcast.  It’s not that I haven’t wanted to.  I’ve even tried multiple times on several sites, but for whatever reason I could never get them to play.  Like John, I agree that podcasts haven’t exactly revolutionized the way people communicate, at least not yet anyway.  However, I do think podcasts have some good qualities as well.

      One appeal of podcasts is based on the concept of immediacy.  They allow someone to feel like the person doing the podcasting is actually talking to him or her specifically.  In some ways, I think the proof that it’s a good medium lies in the potential to forget the medium as you’re using it.  If you find a podcast that suits your particular need for information and you’re really interested, then the podcast part of the equation sort of takes a backseat.  All that really remains is the element of communication.  Even if the interaction is one-sided, just the feeling that you are connecting with someone can be beneficial.  This idea is similar to the concept of interactive game shows that I discussed in an earlier post.  If you haven’t read my update to that post, the game show I referred to has now been cancelled (sniff, sniff), but I still think it was a great idea.  Even though I never called in, I still enjoyed watching because it was almost like the host was talking directly to me rather than millions of viewers across the nation.  It’s the same way with podcasts.  Although podcasters may have no idea who their listeners are, they can still create a link with those listeners based on just being real and relational.  Only time will tell if podcasts have true staying power.  Hopefully, podcasts will fare better than interactive television in the long run.

      As for podcasts being linear, I suppose there’s no way to get completely around that.  It’s true that when listening to a podcast you’ll more than like have to listen to bits of unrelated information and anecdotes.  However, if you really feel it’s too much of a pain to listen to an entire podcast, there are new types of software available that let you listen to podcast in half the time by altering the speed of the playback.  And don’t worry, it also uses pitch correction, so it won’t sound like a copy of Alvin and the Chipmunks greatest hits (though you can click that last link for a little holiday cheer) or that one kid who always inhaled the helium from the balloons at your childhood birthday parties.  But even if you don’t have access to this software, listening to the entire podcast might not be such a bad thing.  Some people might actually be listening to the podcast just to hear those slightly random stories.  After all, isn’t that what a lot of talk shows on TV or the radio do?  It just goes back to that idea of immediacy.  They tune in because of that feeling of connection they get from watching or listening to the person conveying the information.

      So yes, podcasts may require you to sift through sometimes boring chatter, but perhaps that’s just part of their fundamental nature.  Although podcasts might not give you the information exactly when you want it, you can always search the web while you listen to one.  It’s multitasking made easier.  But for those of you nearing graduation, remember that there’s some things podcasts just aren’t a substitute for…

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