Blog 4 Ethan Guevara
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 available via a paid prescription. I feel that the original platformization of podcasting was very good for podcasting, bringing a lot of attention to the medium. I feel that since then podcasts have become very saturated, with a lot of big influencers having their own podcasts and with all the platform exclusives.
Do you think podcasting has become too saturated?
Hi Ethan, I do not necessarily think that podcasting has become too saturated yet, but I do think it will get there. Although podcasting is not new, its advanced popularity is generally new and some popular creators are still transitioning to their own podcasts. The thing with over saturation is the most famous guests in the world can only tell so many stories, so eventually it is possible that people will have nothin left to say if all the information has been over flowed. I think podcasting is a very popular platform that has the ability to stand on its own, especially if it is seen as an extension or addition to the radio. The versatility of podcasting is also very effective, idea that you can listen to it like a radio station but you can also watch it like a TV show. This makes it easier to bring in more viewers. The ability of podcasts to be on multiple types of platforms like Spotify and YouTube will assist in podcasting's over saturation one day.
ReplyDelete