The Form And Experience Of Podcasting

Audio Media

A podcast is essentially a readily accessible digital file that contains audio and/or video content.[1] Unlike traditional broadcast media, podcasts are often structured to fit their content, offering flexibility in storytelling. They can feature narration from a host or reporter, a conversation among a group or a one-on-one interview. The sounds included in podcasts are diverse, encompassing everything from a host's voice to interviews, audio from live events, snippets from movies or TV, and ambient sounds from the surrounding world. This flexibility allows for immersive and narrative storytelling, often focusing on intimate conversations.[2]

The barrier to entry for podcast production is remarkably low, which has led to a more diverse range of creators compared to traditional radio.[3] For recording, podcasters can utilize everyday devices such as cell phones, provided their apps can save and share files in an MP3 format. Beyond basic recording, podcasters employ a variety of digital technologies. For instance, they might use messaging apps like WhatsApp to gather audio messages from sources, or record phone calls, a method that contrasts with traditional radio journalism's emphasis on high audio quality and on-site interviews.[4] Mobile phones are thus not only a primary device for consuming podcasts but also a means of producing them. While this accessibility aids in situations where sources might be remote or in hiding, it also raises ethical considerations regarding the immediate ability to ask follow-up questions during interviews.[5]

A defining characteristic of the podcast experience is the strong sense of intimacy it creates.[6] Listening through earbuds makes the sounds feel physically close, while the mobility of the medium – often tied to personal routines – adds to that feeling of closeness and connection.[7] Podcasts may be particularly likely to foster parasocial relationships, as “the microphone makes audible a vocal range that historically would have required not just physical proximity, but intimate contact,”[8] creating an illusory connection with media personalities that radio historically provided. The intimate connection often created by podcasts, where a host's voice feels like it's speaking directly into your ear, draws listeners into a shared, close experience, even across vast distances.[9]

Audience interaction also shapes the podcast experience. Podcasters often conceptualize an "imagined listener" – an archetype formed from ideals, data and actual interactions. This "imagined listener" can take various forms, including:

  • "Talking to myself": where the podcaster is the central figure in their own audience.
  • The "like-minded listener": a mirror-image of the podcaster themselves.
  • The "listener as friend": either known personally or imagined as companionship.
  • The "listener as someone": an individual rather than a large audience.
  • The "listener as member of a private club": sharing inside jokes and common interests.
  • The "listener as fan": exhibiting fan-like behaviours and deep affection for the hosts.
  • The "listener as critical customer": where podcasters feel beholden to audience feedback.
  • The "listener as a market segment": viewing the audience through a marketing lens, characterized by demographics and interests.[10]

However, this perceived intimacy is often "inversely parasocial" from the podcaster's perspective, reflecting their imagination of their listeners rather than actual two-way communication with them.[11] Listeners are motivated by various factors, including voyeurism, a desire for companionship, entertainment or relaxation, education or information-information seeking, boredom, habit and convenience.[12]

Podcasts are also becoming a significant part of family life, with 70 percent of adults listening to kids' podcasts with their children at least three times a week. Kids often initiate conversations and reenact parts of episodes based on what they learn from podcasts.[13] However, younger generations like Gen Z have shown less interest in journalistic podcasts that feature an "adult voice talking directly to young people," contrary to their desire for independence and their sense of their peers’ values.

[1] Haygood, D. M. (2007). A status report on podcast advertising. Journal of Advertising Research, 47(4), 518-523.

[2] Maares, P., & Perreault, G. (2025). True Crime Podcasting as Journalistic Heterodoxy: Boundary Practices and Journalistic Epistemology of a Heretic Interloper. Journalism Studies, 26(8), 901-919.

[3] Newman, N., & Gallo, N. (2019). News podcasts and the opportunities for publishers. Digital News Report.

[4] Rae, M., Russell, E., & Nethery, A. (2019). Earwitnessing detention: Carceral secrecy, affecting voices, and political listening in the messenger podcast. International Journal of Communication, 13, 20.

[5] Maares, P., & Perreault, G. (2025). True Crime Podcasting as Journalistic Heterodoxy: Boundary Practices and Journalistic Epistemology of a Heretic Interloper. Journalism Studies, 26(8), 901-919.

[6] Euritt, A. M. (2022). Podcasting's transmedia liveness. In The Routledge Companion to Radio and Podcast Studies (pp. 267-274). Routledge.

[7] Spinelli, M., & Dann, L. (2019). Podcasting: The Audio Media Revolution. London, UK: Bloomsbury Academic.

[8] Peters JD (2004). The voice and modern media. In: Kolesch D and Schrodl J (eds.) Kunst-Stimmen
(pp. 85–100). Berlin: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek.

[9] Sharon, T., & John, N. A. (2024). “It’s between me and myself”: Inverse parasocial relationships in addressing (imagined) podcast listeners. New Media & Society, 14614448241287913.

[10] Sharon, T., & John, N. A. (2024). “It’s between me and myself”: Inverse parasocial relationships in addressing (imagined) podcast listeners. New Media & Society, 14614448241287913.

[11] Sharon, T., & John, N. A. (2024). “It’s between me and myself”: Inverse parasocial relationships in addressing (imagined) podcast listeners. New Media & Society, 14614448241287913.

[12] Chung, M. Y., & Kim, H. S. (2015). College Students' Motivations for Using Podcasts. Journal of Media Literacy Education, 7(3), 13-18.

[13] (2023) Kids podcasts in the age of screens. Kids Listen.