Digital Media and New Aural Cultures

 For my final blog post I chose to focus on the connections between women and radio broadcasting. Authors Skoog & Badenoch (2020) note that since its early introduction in the domestic sphere in the 1920s, radio has been used as a medium for the expression of women’s voices, needs and concerns (178). Early radio broadcast were known to provide valuable information and education as well as companionship for listeners at home, who, especially during daytime, were often largely women (Skoog & Badenoch, 2020, p.178).  These original radio programmes for and by women, give us a look into the individual lives and work of women broadcasters, the gendered controversies, debates, and issues over women’s voices (both on and off air), and changing definitions of appropriate programming content for women listeners (Skoog & Badenoch, 2020, p.178).  Even today we see the radio shows and podcasts ran by women whose content and purpose for broadcasting is very similar to the ...

While viewing Pontypool through the lens of Harold Innis’ analysis I would argue that the movie is an example of space bias rather than time bias. Innis describes space bias as the ability to share a message despite a geographical location. Compared to. Time bias that is solidified and not easily moved. During lecture we used the Pyramids as an example of something that is time bias   Seen in Pontypool the English language travels from person to person. Furthermore the sender (in this case Grant Mazzy) never has to be in the same physical space as the receiver (the listener) in order for the message (the virus).   While watching the movie I found that the loud beeping noise in the film helped me understand the space biases. However, I do understand that the beeping noise was by accident rather than done on purpose.   Do you think this noise helped show the space bias or possibly just an inconvenience when watching the movie?

 I discussed different types of podcasting methods and examples during my presentation. The required readings for my topic provided a better understanding of podcasting and how it became what it is today.  I personally found the emergence of audio blogging particularly interesting, as the middle step between blogging and podcasting, because I wasn't entirely familiar with the concept of audio-blogging prior to this course. Throughout the research, I was able to listen to various styles of audio blogs and podcast series. In my presentation, I introduced 6 different modes of storytelling, which were live storytelling, feature documentary, personal documentary, historical narrative, non-narrated story, and audio drama. These types of 'storytelling' podcasts were very popular in the early 2010s, with different crime podcasts or informative podcast series.  However, one thing I noticed recently is that nowadays, there is an increase in the popularity of podcasting series with ...

I found the platformization of podcasting to be a very interesting topic discussed. Prior to the platformization of podcasting, as discussed by John Sullivan in “The Platforms of Podcasting: Past and Present”, a method known as RSS was used to consume podcasts. This was not easy for everyone to use, as only people with higher knowledge of the use of technology would be able to use this method. Steve Jobs would be the first to make a platform for podcasting with the release of iTUnes 4.9. THis allowed users the ability to consume and discover podcasts from the same place, ultimately making it much easier for the general population to enjoy this medium. Sullivan then goes on to explain how many followed Apple's steps as they were responsible for its popularization. Sullivan expands on this topic, leading him to the discussion of podcast enclosure. Due to the sheer amounts of podcasting platforms, it led to the enclosure of platforms beginning to produce content that would only be ava...

  After completing my assigned readings for my presentation during week 9, I found myself thinking a lot about what David Arditti calls “unending consumption”. Something we have discussed throughout the term is our listening habits as consumers. As listeners, we expect new content, and new digital technologies to listen to this content. For example, streaming platforms. Streaming platforms give us constant access to music whenever and wherever we want. I would argue that it is this “seemingly free” and never ending feeling that keeps listeners paying their monthly subscription fees for streaming platforms.  This brings me to what David Arditti calls unending consumption. Arditti argues that with the newest development in sound technologies, this being streaming platforms, this aspect of unending consumption has begun. As listeners, we will never stop wanting new musical content, and the efficiency streaming platforms provide plays up this feeling. We expect our favourite artis...

This course has given us the chance to explore the evolution of digital technologies, more specifically, technologies of sound production and distribution. We learned how people interact with them and how that interaction has changed with the introduction of new sound technologies and technological advancements. For instance, we can contrast radio and podcasts and how people interact with these technologies. Podcasts can be hosted by one person, two people or even several people. Podcasts usually insinuate a conversation between people; if presented by one host, that host is talking to you, the host is stimulating a conversation with the listener. Radio stations usually play music – that are already trending – tends to be repetitive and predictable, radio stations may also present news reports, which are easily accessible online, and people can consume them a lot faster than radio station would deliver. Podcasts allow people to select specific topics that they are interested in and lis...

When completing my presentation’s required readings and gaining an understanding of what the authors were arguing, I can confidently say that I find it very interesting that there is such a large divide regarding the classification of podcasts. For example, as I explained during my presentation, a scholar like Michele Hilmes would consider Podcasts an extension of/ the next step in radio. Basically considering podcasting as a form of radio. This would be in contrast to what a scholar like Richard Berry would say, in that Podcasts should not be considered radio at all, and that Podcasting is its own unique medium in every right.  In the end, I do believe that Bonini presents the best argument for how to view Podcasting; as radio, as not radio/its own unique medium, but primarily as a complex socio-technical assemblage. But that’s kind of besides my point. What I really find interesting is how differently two academic sources could view the medium/topic of Podcasting. I guess that th...

Hi everyone, Throughout the course one of the main ideas, we have spoken about how listening habits have changed (i.e., radio, owning music, streaming). One aspect that I have found very interesting has been the development in the history of radio. I think one of the reasons why I have had such an interest is because I've always had access to the radio and as a result have never fully appreciated it.   Since our class discussions and course readings I have come to the conclusion that I believe that radio's downfall is actually one of the reasons why radio succeeded in its time. As Susan Douglas states in the article Conclusion: Is Listening Dead? When the radio became mainstream, large media corporations would acquire multiple radio stations in the same market. As a result, companies would then rotate music content based off of the popularity for listeners. While this strategy has worked it poses an issue for the current radio stations. As discussed in class, popular radio sta...

  There has been an increase in studies regarding an average person’s attention span in relation to the ongoing evolution of technology. It has been noted that due to social media platforms like TikTok, it has shortened one's ability to stay focussed for longer than a couple minutes.  That being said, this directly related to the downfall of radio, and the introduction of podcast popularity. Podcasts allow people to stay engaged just as they would a face-to-face conversation. Rather than listening to the same popular songs being replayed among radio stations, being able to listen to someone talk about a topic one may be passionate about allows for more engagement and the ability to keep one’s attention.

 Hi everyone!       Over the course of the past few weeks, we have discussed numerous components of the digital media world. From the music world to radio all the way to podcasting, we have seen the development and expansion of one innovation to the next, always encompassing the characteristics of the last expansion.      One of the main components we discussed that I found very interesting was the understanding, creation and rise of the podcast world. I know that some individuals have touched on this already this week, so I am bringing a different take to it. When we engage in the process of listening, especially to podcasts, we listen in a way that does not allow us to contribute to the conversation. We are watching or listening to other individuals speak about a topic that they find interesting as well that we find interesting. Health and wellness are very important to me as an individual, as w hen I am in the car, especially on long road trips...

Damon Krukowski discusses the concept of noise in his book Loudness wars, Real Time and Listening to Noise in The New Analogue: Listening and reconnecting in a digital world. He believes that noise is a fundamental component of achieving the full music experience. Noise is not solely the literal noise from the music but it is also all the external noise that accompanies it. However,  Krukowski says that we’ve lost noise in the transition to digital recordings from analogue media. There has been an emphasis on signal which is the thing we are listening for such as a certain vocal or beat but it comes at the expense of noise. Most individuals listen to music through streaming services which are very convenient and give us access to many songs but there is a degradation in sound quality compared to analogue media.  Not only has the literal noise been eliminated in digital recordings but so has the ancillary information that can be considered noise as well since it contributes to...

     Within Andrew Bottomley’s fifth chapter entitled, “Hang the DJ? Music Radio and Sound Curation in the Algorithmic Ages” in his book Sound Streams, the author compares the elements present within the online music radio platform, Pandora and terrestrial radio stations. To expand, Bottomley maintains that in both radio formats, listeners are provided with limited musical choice and control over stations. Pandora and terrestrial platforms are unable to skip, replay, or play a song more frequently, demonstrating the reduced control given to radio medium listeners. Further, both medium forms afforded listeners a reduced ability to provide feedback and alter the music presented; for Pandora users could give songs a “thumbs up” or a “thumbs down,” in addition to a third option of telling the system that “I’m tired of this track” to hear the song more, less, or not for a while, respectively; in relation to terrestrial radio, listeners may change the station If they dislike th...

Today we had a discussion about the modern requirements of podcasts and what determines success within the medium. I began thinking about the broadcast performance “The War of The Worlds” by Orsen Welles and the similarities in content and style in modern podcasts. I have come across some podcasts that rely on drama, clickbait, and an exaggerated performance or delivery. In a way, this can be compared to the 1938 broadcast as it too exaggerated the content, and delivery and gave a dramatic rendition of events. The majority of readings focusing on “The War of The Worlds” claimed that it was one of the first instances of fake news through radio broadcasting systems. It is interesting to think about the consequences Welles faced for his broadcast dramatization, and the little repercussions fake news receives today. Marshall McLuhan discussed the Tribal Drum as the aural effects and influences of radio broadcasting on society and culture. McLuhan argues that radio should be viewed as a new...

     Earlier on in the course, Marshall McLuhan taught us about his theory on the human sensorium. His theory discusses the idea that a medium is an extension of a human sense or faculty. The primary example example of this being that a wheel is an extension of a foot. I think it is possible to use this theory in order to describe podcasting as an extension of the radio in a sense. The upbringing of the radio, a way to obtain information without being able to see them face to face has now developed into the podcast, something that you can listen too but also watch in order to gain the information. A possible conflict with the assertion i have made is also described by McLuhan when he talks about mediums such as print which favours the Eye. This tits the ratios in favour of the visual sense producing in human beings a perception of the world which is biased towards one sense which can create a sense of distortion. This means that people who listen to podcasts vs watch podc...

In class, we have talked a lot about music streaming platforms and its relation to traditional radio. However, music isn’t the only thing that has evolved with streaming platforms but rather podcasting as well. The podcast industry has evolved to not only be strictly audio but is now audio and video. Spotify has even introduced a video aspect for podcast episodes that have video and audio. With the introduction to the video, podcasting has almost become a new version of a talk show. A lot of the time I find myself discovering new podcasts on TikTok because podcasters will post short clips almost like teasers or trailers to reach new audiences.  I think podcasting is becoming the new version of modern-day talk shows because it’s the equivalent of watching a more casual conversation or a casual talk show. Furthermore, I would argue that podcasting is also becoming a substitute for radio because it caters to the on-demand aspect that allows listeners to listen to the content they’re i...

In addition to the presentations and class discussions from this week I wanted to talk more about technological determinism versus social constructionism because it was a topic that I found both interesting and a bit confusing. I would like to use this discussion to compare and contrast the two in order to better understand the two terms and what they mean in relation to podcast studies. As discussed in “Podcast Studies and its techno-social discourses’ there are many scholars that are working to define podcasts as it is a newly emerged medium. However, there are many debates on what these definitional parameters are. It is important to gain an understanding of this new emerging technology as it has an impact on both our society and the people within it. Two heavily debated ideas surrounding podcast studies and how this new technology emerged are technological determinism and social constructionism. Technological determinism views these new technologies as a driving force that shapes s...

As argued in at least two of the presentations this past week, it is understood that podcasting and streaming services are simply remediation's of radio. The new practices of using radio today use radio in ways that satisfies our contemporary media landscape. For my readings that I was assigned for my presentation, I explored the Introduction and chapters one, two, and four in the book Sound Streams Andrew J. Bottomley. His book explores the modern practices of radio that have built on past successes, suggesting many times that history repeats itself, and that these breakthroughs will happen again.  One connection he makes that stood out to me was the development of Pseudo radio to Pseudo television. Pseudo.com had added a camera which invited the audience to watch chat radio instead of only listen to it, similar to how talk radio shows are broadcasted on TV. It was transmitted via RealVideo instead of RealAudio, a technology that was an easy and affordable soluti...

 The readings I did my presentation were by Anne MacLennan and Cynthia B. Meyers both fall within the unit of  Historical Formations of the Broadcast Radio Assemblage. These two readings focus on a brief section of history regarding the formation of radio broadcast networks, developing into the role sponsorship and commercialism had on these new networks. Ultimately these readings offer important perspectives of the understanding of culture and identity in radio networks and advertising.  With the emergence of commercialism on radio, advertisers were able to influence consumers like never before. This mirrored the way each network’s ownership could manipulate their audience’s perceptions of national identity.  I believe that it can be argued that the key element found throughout radio, broadcasting, network ownership and sponsorship is the culture that surrounds it.  Radio has influenced national social and cultural environments in a multitude of ways since its ...

Adding on to topics, questions, and discussions from my presentation last class, I wanted to discuss podcasts in the form of both audio and video. As I mentioned in class, I am someone who prefers to "listen" to podcasts by watching them. Usually taking place on YouTube as most podcast hosts and companies have channels on there. For example: Barstool Sports, Call Her Daddy, and TMG productions.  This past week the concept of liveness and how podcasts fit into this category were discussed. Do you believe if someone is watching a recording of a podcast they are still listening to a podcast? Or does this just become a regular YouTube video? Does the visual recording of a podcast take away from what it essentially is?  In my opinion, I believe the fact that I have the option to either listen or watch the recording of the podcast, still makes it a podcast. Whereas if there was only the video option, this would just be me watching another YouTube video of two (or more) people havin...