Humanity and Podcasting: the Real Treasure was the Friends we made Along the Way

Friendships happen in unlikely places. For a good part of my life, I had friends that lived in this little talking device I carried around. It wasn’t much but they made me laugh and cry and told me things I didn’t know. I found that when I was loneliest, I could feel less alone.

Lonely Girl

I know what it sounds like, but let’s not all start feeling bad for the lonely girl with no real friends. I DO have real life friendships. There is just a specific place in my heart for the podcasts I listen to.

My family never played music in the car. Nerds that they are, my parents were partial to audiobooks and public radio. I was a little behind as a reader, so audio-based storytelling was a tenet of my childhood. I remember sitting in the back seat, listening to Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me! and pretending I knew any of the answers to the questions.

When I grew up and continued subscribing and listening, I started to feel connections with people I never met. As explained in the New York Times Magazine Article, Even Nobodies Have Fans Now, these were parasocial relationships: one-sided relationships where the participating party is so charmed by the other that they feel a level of intimacy, relation, and comfortability. 

The article went on to give a very apt description of podcast listeners and fans: 

“They are no longer merely worshipers of a top-down product but creators and stewards of a shared, bottom-up identity.”

If I ever needed a friend, wherever I was, whatever I was doing, I could listen to those people that lived in a box in my pocket.

The Most Trusted Man In America. 

As I listened to podcasts, found favorites, and formed these relationships in my mind, I realized what made them so valuable: trust. 

Although I wasn’t around to see him in action, I’ve always heard the name Walter Cronkite. He was known as the “Most Trusted Man In America.” In the 60s and 70s he was widely regarded for his straight talking. In NPR’s Weekend Edition piece on his death, they recounted what made him so great: 

“He was absolutely in favor of giving the American people what they needed to know, not what they wanted to hear.”

He represented something that people could put their faith in during a time of uncertainty. His Editorial edge and humanity created a powerful parasocial relationship with the American people

This being said it is important to remember that Cronkite’s credibility is in part a product of an era that simply had more trust in authority. 

As a nation, we have developed and changed in huge ways compared to the Cronkite era, for better or for worse.

Accessibility, Editorialism, and Parasocial Intimacy.

Accessibility, editorialism, and parasocial intimacy. This is the formula that makes podcasting such a powerful medium in today’s world.

Accessibility

Accessibility is not only a courtesy, but a an important quality to have in a world that likes getting things on demand

As a slow reader, I have become partial to audio mediums for my information, news, and entertainment. However, even for the most talented reader, podcasts still offer a simple way to get information with a busy schedule. 

Podcasts can be enjoyed in “found time”: while exercising, during a commute, or (for the brave) while doing work.

Editorialism

Editorialism is a more precise, dynamic methodology to disseminating the news and information. 

In the age of the internet when people are more distrustful of the mainstream media and government, they will likely turn to the free market of information. 

Although our information network is far from perfect, editorializing content and offering a unique and authentic perspective is valuable.

Parasocial Intimacy

Parasocial intimacy is (in my mind) the most important piece of the puzzle. I give my time and attention to these podcasters because I feel a connection with them. I trust them and want to hear what they have to say because I believe it is genuine. 

Most podcasts are crowdfunded or rely on minimal affiliate marketing deals. 

There are no corporations doing backroom deals and shaping the narrative. There are just genuine people that talk in my ear, and for whom I have grown to love and want as a part of my life.

The Medium is the Message

In the Atlantic article, Inside the Podcast Brain: Why Do Audio Stories Captivate?, communications professor, Emma Rodero, spoke about the personal quality of audio-based storytelling: 

“Audio is one of the most intimate forms of media because you are constantly building your own images of the story in your mind and you’re creating your own production,”

I know this phenomenon well. 

I believe this medium is an important one, but I am aware of my own bias. I have listened to podcasts for a long time and can no longer imagine my life without them. 

What role does this medium play in relation to the broader market of information?

What are the pitfalls of relying too heavily on Podcasts for your information?

What does the popularity of podcasting (listening, making, etc) say about this generation?

When I was listening to podcasts to cure loneliness, I hadn’t considered the variety of human needs I was tapping into. I believe, like Cronkite, When something has humanity, it has power.