The Podcast Medium: Border Eraser Thesis by Seong Dae Kim Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degr
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1 The Podcast Medium: Border Eraser Thesis By Seong Dae Kim Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts In Communication and Mass Media State University of New York Empire State College 2020 Reader: PhDr. Todd Nesbitt, Ph.D. 2 Statutory Declaration / Čestné prohlášení I, Seong Dae Kim, declare that the paper entitled: The Podcast Medium: Border Eraser was written by myself independently, using the sources and information listed in the list of references. I am aware that my work will be published in accordance with § 47b of Act No. 111/1998 Coll., On Higher Education Institutions, as amended, and in accordance with the valid publication guidelines for university graduate theses. Prohlašuji, že jsem tuto práci vypracoval/a samostatně s použitím uvedené literatury a zdrojů informací. Jsem vědom/a, že moje práce bude zveřejněna v souladu s § 47b zákona č. 111/1998 Sb., o vysokých školách ve znění pozdějších předpisů, a v souladu s platnou Směrnicí o zveřejňování vysokoškolských závěrečných prací. In Prague, 07.08.2020 Seong Dae Kim 3 Acknowledgments I would like to thank Dr. Todd Nesbitt for his support in the past 4 years. I grew as a student but also as a person from seeing his dedication in teaching as well as supporting his peers. I would also like to thank Dr. Tess Slavíčková, Dr. Veronika Zavřelová, Dr. Tarik Jusić, Dr. Elena Soler, Dr. Michele Forte, Dr. Michaela Slussareff, Liba Taylor, Esq. James M. Heller, Mgr.Vartan Agopian, and Dr. Charles Webel for the same reason. I not only learned from you the tools and skills for navigating life, but also the sense of being a good person which is perhaps the most valuable lesson of all. Lastly, I would like to extend my gratitude to all of my colleagues who shared classrooms with me during my studies. However brief or substantial, memorable or immemorable our friendship may have been, all of you have been a part of a chapter in my life. Thank you. 4 Contents 1. Introduction .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 2. The Podcast’s History .................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.1 When the Stars Aligned........................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.2 The Podcast’s Compelling Sibling, YouTube ...................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3 The Podcast Emergence ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3.1 Extended Humans .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.3.2 The Power of Audio ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3. The Podcast Today ....................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1 Education .............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1.1 The Pilot ........................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1.2 Homo Storia ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.1.3 Podagogy - StartUp ....................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2 Politics .................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.1 Leviathan 2.0 ................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined. 3.2.2 Covet All Lose All .......................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4. The Podcast’s Future ................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.1 Veterans and Rookies ........................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.2 The Big Leagues................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 4.3 In the Future ......................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 5. Conclusion .................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6. References ................................................................................................................................ 38 7. Bibliography ............................................................................................................................ 44 5 Abstract This paper examines the podcast’s emergence, development, and structural aspects within the converging technological environment. With the rapid growth of the internet and Web 2.0 tools, the private actors not only have the means to access information from various sources, but also to be the sources themselves and, in some cases gatekeepers. Following the podcast’s history, trends such as blurring of borders between consumers and producers, prevalence of edutainment and politainment are assessed, as well as modern gatekeepers and the podcast’s potential future. Alternative approaches to traditional content production, consumption, and distribution especially in areas of education and political discourse are analyzed in terms of the likelihood of serving as solutions. Approaches such as affordable, accessible, lay-language-based, and finally, independent content distribution are discussed in terms of their potential. The paper concludes that as a result of media convergence today, there are new gatekeepers but also new tools such as the podcast which offers a unique pathway to previously unavailable form of communication. Thus, the challenges could be overcome by the podcast’s accessible and independent form of communication. Keywords: media convergence, podcast, blurring of borders, gatekeeper, prosumer, edutainment, politainment 6 The Podcast Medium: Border Eraser The internet has had a revolutionary impact on the way information is produced, consumed, and distributed. Traditionally, to speak to a large audience one had to gain access to the industry (e.g. radio, television broadcasting), which is subject to supervision by telecommunications regulatory bodies. However, with the rapid growth of the internet and web 2.0 tools, one can find ways to bypass those gatekeepers to the audience and mainstream media with low entry costs and minimum expertise. Not only do the digital natives today access information from sources other than legacy media, but they also produce and distribute information, and are the sources themselves. They are active and autonomous in their media usage habits as prosumers and prefer user control - to time-shift and place-shift – over the static broadcasting schedule of legacy media. This blurring of borders between producers and consumers stems from the converging technological environment in which users become extended. It is in this context, once a medium for a niche audience, the podcast is emerging around the world. In 2006, there were 65 million American podcast listeners and by 2023, this number is expected to grow to 160 million. In parallel to the convergence culture, the podcast medium provides new approaches to educational practice and political discourse. However, despite its rapid growth and impact, the podcast has received relatively little attention. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the development, emergence, and structural aspects of the podcast medium in order to understand the rise in popularity, and distinguishing characteristics on an international level. To do this, the paper will explore the history of the podcast medium and examine four aspects of the podcast: (1) Factors affecting the podcast 7 emergence; (2) the podcast’s role in educational practice; (3) the podcast’s role in political discourse; and (4) the potential future of the podcast. The podcast refers to “publishing of sound files online which users subscribe to via designated software” (JISC, 2005, as cited by Berry, 2006). It is the distribution system that is the core concept of the podcast rather than the audio files itself. According to Berry (2006), the core concept of the podcast is like the consumer experiences of the print media. “To get our favorite periodicals we subscribe directly with the publisher and have it sent to our home. By subscribing we do not need to do anything to get the content we want: it arrives shortly after it is issued. The podcast works like a subscription except it is audio files delivered to the home or office computer rather than printed matter dropping through the door”. Another key differentiator between the podcast and legacy media and even other new media is its accessibility. For podcasters, the means to consume are the means to produce. Anyone with access to a device that supports audio recording and playback (e.g. a smartphone) can produce and consume podcasts. Also, a podcaster is not bound to one platform (such as a YouTuber) and is able to piggyback on other existing distribution infrastructure such as iTunes, Spotify, and Pandora. The podcast medium emphasizes user control. The podcast users time-shift and place-shift, and make deliberate choices - when, what, how, and where - for their medium usage. Its accessibility and ease of use allow the podcast to be used for various purposes and guarantee further growth in the global media landscape where convergence culture is growingly prevalent. 2. The Podcast’s History The podcast medium was