Will Millenials and Gen Z embrace this?

Let us all be real here.

You are probably not going to read the entire article, but what if I told you that you that you will miss out on the next big “thing” on the digital world? Scroll on now.

With the COVID-19 pandemic, the usage of digital media has immensely increased for the majority population. The digital platform has become a predominant role of our life. Aside from switching to distance learning or working from what was known as a norm, it is generally eye-straining and exhausting to be staring into a digital device for long hours.

This is an alternative for an individual who seeks another form of entertainment without, and I stress, without having the need to focus on the screen to continue eye straining practices after a long day of work.

Do you remember the word “radio”? Ah… Radio… Yes. I used to listen to the radio when I was:

• On the bus to school.
• On a roadtrip with the family and the CD wasn’t working.
• In the car with my mum early morning on the way to her workplace whilst listening to a special prank call Programme called “Gotcha”.
• Horribly irritated that the Bluetooth system failed to function in an old Toyota.
• Working in the restaurant with Radio Pilatus streaming in the kitchen every. Single. Day.

Here are some questions for thought. Picture a normal day of a person.

• If you’re driving, do you stream your playlist of music or the radio channel?
• If you’re taking the public transport, do you have your earphones in and drift away with music, read a reading material, work on your laptop, or listen to the radio channel?

Now, I know what you’re thinking. Nope, you’re wrong, and yes I’m getting there.

What is it?

Seems pretty clear to us what it is about, although the word was first adopted in February 2004 by a journalist named Ben Hammersley, for an article featured in The Guardian Newspaper, let’s understand what it really means by the term “podcast”. According to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries:

Now imagine that you’re doing your house chores, you’re on a public transport, walking, or at the gym.

However, instead of listening to music, you’re listening to audio recordings of the latest news, an interview, an audio book, a sketch comedy, just to name a few.

Doesn’t seem to occur to the majority population these days does it?

So its like a Radio Broadcast?

A Radio broadcast is somewhat similar to a Podcast. A person speaking behind the microphone, without having to show his or her face. Listeners stream it without having much thought of the speaker’s body language or facial expressions. However, podcasts, unlike radio broadcasts, are mostly pre-recorded and comes in various forms. It could be in the context of storytelling, interview,  discussion of a topic, news, you name it. Take it from the perspective of seeing it as a movie or a song. You can pause it and get back to it whenever convenient. Podcasts are also uploaded onto different streaming platforms whereas radio broadcasting uses frequency modulation (FM).

Here is a quick comparison.

There are different forms of podcasts, such as Live Podcasts, however we will discuss this in the upcoming posts.

Podcasts are easily accessible. I recall the first time I tapped into Apple Podcast out of curiosity. This purple little icon on your iPhone that you never look at. Does it ring a bell?

It probably took me less than a minute or two to explore the app, streamed some random podcast for a couple seconds and exited from the app.

I’ll tell you what was on my mind back then.

It’s boring.

It’s dull.

There’s no life to it.

I prefer videos and photos over audios. Little did I know, as I adult from being a high school kid, podcasts eventually became a convenience to my everyday life.

How do I benefit from this?

Seeing it as a new way of how potential networks are built, how some business use it as a marketing platform, a new window to their business. It simply acts as another medium of social engagement. You could benefit this both as a listener and a speaker, depending on what you’re seeking for.

By reading this for the past 3 minutes, you could’ve been listening to it instead, whilst chopping up some tomatoes and preparing for your meal. In the meantime, here’s a tip that you can use right away.

Look up for podcasting platforms such as:

• Spotify
• Soundcloud
• Buzzsprout
• Apple Podcast

Try it out, and discover the topics of your interest, how you could integrate and make use of it in your daily life. Alternatively, if you already have experience in listening to podcasts, or have held your own podcasts, do leave a comment below to share your tips with other fellow readers!

Next week I will post more of similar topic. Stay tuned!

Similar Topics:

• The 5 Best Free Podcast Hosting Services in 2020
• Why Podcasting has survived (and thrived) during COVID-19
• How the Podcast Industry Found a Voice During the COVID-19 Pandemic

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