An Examination of Podcasts

Technology’s exponential development has had a huge impact on society. The advancement in technology, in particular, has enabled humans to reach previously unthinkable heights. Without science, man will not be able to dominate the world like he does today. Essentially, technology has made it possible for a man to live his life in a more convenient manner. However, it is still necessary to recognize some of technology’s negative implications. The advancement of technology has had far-reaching implications for mankind. For example, technological advancement has culminated in the abandoning of previous technologies. This may party have been as a result of redundancy as the old technology was not able to meet the demands of modern cases (Fietze 68). There are many cases that can be put across to explain this phenomenon which occurs every day. For instance, it was common in the past for companies to fax messages to other organizations. However, the improvement in technology has allowed emailing services to take a lead role in communication for a majority of organizations. The same can be said of podcasts which were common in the past.

A podcast may be considered as a series of digital files that an individual can subscribe to. Consequently, individuals can get new episodes which are automatically downloaded from the internet through web syndication to an individual_x0092_s mobile application, local computer, or any portable media. In the past, podcast was often preferred by millions of people across the world as it made it easy for one to download content and listen to it later. This was considered convenient as it allowed individuals to carry on with the responsibilities while still ensuing that they were adequately updated insofar as their interests were concerned. Therefore, it is important to understand how a podcast works. The distributor of a podcast is charged with the responsibility of maintaining a central list of files on a server as a web feed (Fietze 56). To access the files, an individual must have access to the internet in order to log onto the web. For a client to listen to the content, he/she must first have an application software meant for clients. The software is referred to as a podcatcher, accesses the web feed and checks for new updates. In the event that there are new updates, the podcatcher will proceed to download the new content.

The significance of podcasts insofar as storytelling and the history of the radio cannot be understated. In the past, individuals used to heavily rely on podcasts for storytelling purposes. This was important as it made it easy for individuals to communicate ideas. It was particularly important to use the podcasts as technology had not advanced as it is today. Individuals would record their content and post it on the internet for other people to access. Once the content had been uploaded to the internet, individuals subscribed to the channel would be informed of the new content. As such, this was considered as an efficient method of communication as it allowed individuals to pass on their ideas. The emergence of podcasts was especially crucial during this period when communication was severely restricted. As a result, it was important to find an alternative and effective method of storytelling. Since the podcasts consisted of audio files, it was relatively easy to download the content and individuals would listen to it at their own convenience. Therefore, this suited the demands of storytelling by ensuring that the message was passed on in a clear and lucid manner. As a result, podcasts played a key role in ensuring that individuals kept in touch with their immediate environment.

Radio stations have in the past relied on podcast to communicate to their audience. It is instructive to note that radio stations often record their content for various reasons. In some countries, it is mandatory for radio stations to record their content for legal purposes. Radio stations can also record their content for quality analysis. This is intended to improve the quality of their work. Once the content has been recorded, it can be posted online for individuals to listen to and make their own judgments. The use of podcasts by radio stations made it easy to pass on critical information. In particular, it made it easy for individuals to listen to their favorite programs at their own convenience (Menduni 22). One only needed an internet connection to download the radio programs from the internet. As such, this was important in entrenching the significance of podcast in communities. Podcasts made it possible for individuals to share idea, experience and emotions. However, a lot has changed over the years. The improvement in technology has had a significant impact on podcasts. In particular, the capability of podcasts have been substantially improved to meet the new demands (Menduni 45). Therefore, it has become crucial to ensure that podcasts can handle the various digital content.

There are important lessons that can be learnt from the resurgence of broadcasts that seemingly faded away when the TV took over. It is undeniable that the television revolutionized how people communicate. The combination of audio and visual content was important in ensuring that individuals appreciated the significance of digital content. Essentially, the combination of audio and visual content provides an audience with a complete understanding of a specific content. Initially, the emergence of the television as an alternative source of information had a far-reaching impact on other platforms of communication. A number of communication platforms had to be down away with as the television offered stiff competition. The podcast was significantly affected as individuals preferred to watch the television instead of listening to audio content. The podcast did not have the technological capability to compete against the television which at the time was gaining popularity at an unprecedented rate. As such, it became even more important for the podcast to be improved. There was the need to ensure that its capability and uses were significantly enhanced to boost its standing.

Innovation has played a key role in the resurgence of particular broadcasts such as podcast. It is instructive to note that technology has greatly advanced in the last few decades. Consequently, it has become even more important to ensure that the current communication platforms are strengthened to support the added capability (Berry 30). Without the necessary technological input, it would have been virtually impossible for these broadcasts to resurge. Their resurgence is a pointer to the fact that a lot of improvements have been undertaken to ensure that individuals can continue to take advantage of them. It is for this reason that the podcast is considered as a converged medium as it brings together audio files, the web, and portable devices. Instead of doing away with some of these platforms, it is crucial that the necessary measures are put in place to improve them. The latest technology should be incorporated to ensure that they meet the demands of the modern world. The resurgence of the broadcasts has also impacted on radio business. Marketers have had to review their marketing strategies in order to take advantage of the broadcasts (Potter 12). This is an area that will continue to experience tremendous growth in the next few decades.

In conclusion, the advancement in technology has had a great impact on how human beings communicate and share their ideas. The growth in technology has allowed man to improve his lifestyle and the way he related with his immediate environment. This is best highlighted by the resurgence of the podcasts on the international scene. Over the years, the television had come to replace most traditional forms of communication. This is partly due to the fact that the television combines both visual and audio content. Consequently, this made it significantly easy for individuals to communicate and share their ideas through the use of the television. However, the resurgence of the various kinds of broadcasts highlights the need for technological innovation. Technological innovation is required to ensure that some of the traditional channels of communication are revamped to ensure that they are in a position to handle the added capability that has been brought about by the advancement in technology. This is important in ensuring that platforms such as the podcasts continue to play an important role in the society.

Works Cited

Berry, Richard. “Will the iPod kill the radio star? Profiling podcasting as radio.” Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies 12.2 (2006): 143- 162.

Fietze, Simon. “Podcast in higher education: Students usage behaviour.” Same places, different

spaces. Proceedings ascilite Auckland 2009 (2009): 314-318.

Fietze, Simon. “Podcast in Higher Education: Students’ Experience and Assessment.” e- Education, e-Business, e-Management, and e-Learning, 2010. IC4E’10. International Conference on. IEEE, 2010.

Menduni, Enrico. “Four steps in innovative radio broadcasting: From QuickTime to podcasting.” Radio Journal: International Studies in Broadcast & Audio Media 5.1 (2007): 9-18.

Potter, Deborah. “iPod, you pod, we all pod: eager to lure news consumers, media outlets are experimenting with news-on-demand podcasts. They’re fun, fresh--and often unpolished.” American Journalism Review 28.1 (2006): 64-65.