Long-form content is back. From TikToks to YouTube Shorts, Instagram reels, and anything in between, as social media began to oversaturate our society with short-format videos, people began to yearn again for long-form media options. One of the biggest changes in the media industry has been the introduction and rise of the podcast.
The Podcast format, which initially debuted in 2003, is “A program (as of music or talk) made available in digital format for automatic download over the Internet.” This new conversational internet medium has become increasingly popular over the past decade, and the vast majority of ways a podcast can be a consumer has made it a top choice of media for consumers. Podcasts are also a very convenient way to entertain yourself when you find yourself doing any boring, repetitive, mindless, tasks. While the younger generations may place a certain stigma around podcasts that they are strictly informational and news-related, this is certainly not the case. On platforms such as Apple Podcasts, listeners have access to over 110 different categories of podcasts, where it is ensured that they can find something to listen to that they are likely to be interested in and enjoy.
“I love listening to a good podcast from time to time, I enjoy listening to Pardon My Take, Good Morning Football, and anything sports-related. I like most of the Barstool Podcasts with Big Cat and those guys. I listen to them when I’m doing laundry or cleaning or something like that, it helps me pass the time,” Tommy Cavanaugh ‘24 said.
In addition to mindless entertainment, when you start to focus on the more educational side of podcasts, you can see that they are essential for the younger generation to have access to when they tend not to be reading the news as frequently as adults maybe would. With the impending election, the younger generation must continue to educate themselves on current events and the political and economic state of the world. That being said, it is very infrequently that you find students under 18 reading up on the latest issue of the Wall Street Journal. Podcasts offer a separate, more engaging way for young adults to consume information. They are not as cut and dry, and the reappearing cast of these podcasts allows listeners to create a rapport with them, and relate to them, which is something that they are not able to get with traditional newspaper outlets.
“I listen to the Joe Rogan Experience, he brings on many different types of guests, with the majority of them being industry experts, so I can learn a lot just by listening,” Scott Millman ‘24 added.
In essence, whether you are listening to Good Morning Football, or Hot Mess with Alix Earle, there will always be a podcast listeners can find and enjoy. Podcasts are back, hopefully for good, and they will continue to serve the role of educating, informing, and entertaining generations of listeners.
