When we were first assigned our research topics for the semester I honestly was slightly bummed at first that we landed with podcasting. I really did not know anything about podcasting. All I knew was that the iPhone came with a “Podcasts” app installed and I wish that I could delete it just so I could save space. Little did I know, podcasting has a very unique presence in the relm of digital media. The medium first appeared in 2004 and the trend in popularity has been a roller coaster consisting of huge spikes and increases in consumer interest. For the past few years we have been experiencing one of those periods where people forget if podcasts even exist anymore. But more recently we are starting to see the revival of podcasts thanks to some huge hits that are causing a lot of buzz. Specifically Serial, which has broken many records in both downloads and views. People have been saying things like “this is the greatest podcast ever made” and “A huge hit that has inspired water cooler talk and Twitter buzz”. It was not just Serial itself that created a revival movement for this once forgotten medium, it was a combination of the time period as well. From the perspective of the podcasting community, technology is their best and closest friend. Because of the advancement in technology, the “friction” associated with listening to podcasts. I really like that word friction because that really is what it is, with the increased ease of accessing podcasts. Right now if I wanted to listen to a podcast, I could find pretty much whatever my preference is at the time in about 5 minutes.

One thing that I wonder is while Serial seems to be leading this podcast revival, what is going to come next? Serial is currently still being downloaded approximately 500,000 times a day but that is eventually going to fizzle out. Are we just in the midst of an occasional increased interest in podcasting? Or is it here to stay? The technology aspect tells me that there is a better chance than in the past that podcasting will stick around for a bit but there is one important piece that is creating some issues and that is money. Money is the root of all problems right? While podcasters are passionate about what they do, they would like to see some reward for their hard work. Advertising and subscribers is where I see this going, depending on the platform the podcast is on listeners will either have to pay for their subscription on a per month or year basis or get bombarded with ads. That is just the reality of today’s world, as soon as people start to show some interest, someone wants to be compensated for it. I cant blame the podcasters though I would feel the same way.

After going through the research of the podcasts revival I am proud to say that I am an avid podcast listener. Like many, I started with Serial and was instantly hooked. Then I began to search for podcasts based on my interests which led me to start listening to many podcasts that revolve around what is going on in the sports world. I discovered that professional athletes have their own podcasts which I am a huge fan of. I used to dread driving from my hometown in New Jersey to UMass because it was 4 hours of listening to music by myself. Now I cant wait to jump in the car for hours because I know that I will be able to become fully invested in a podcast and I will be perfectly content.