It seems that in our increasingly fast paced world, images are the predominant source of information and entertainment in this current day and age. The move towards more immersive media is a trend that has been very apparent over the past several decades, and especially in the past 9 or so years. This is not to say that many people push for more traditional media and traditionally inspired new media. Podcasts, a new form of radio, really, have become quite popular lately, especially within the crowd of people less interested in immersive media, and more interested in story telling, and a personal experience.

The move away from radio to television began early on, much before I was born. Television, in its honeymoon phase of the American public, represented the newest and hottest way to get information. Many news and radio broadcasting stations moved to the television to keep viewers interested in their station. However, radio continued to be an important part of the way of life. Today, there is a push for media that engulfs the viewer beyond most people’s wildest dreams, VR is here to stay it seems. It’s only in the very beginning stages in the consumer market, but I believe it will soon be a cornerstone for entertainment and social networking, likely within the next 15 years. With this new media, and our constant interaction with videos and pictures, podcasts have become popular with people in a different kind of counter culture. They have computers or smartphones to hear the podcast, but like to be able to just hear the information. This lends the ability to multitask more, as I can drive and listen to a podcast on my way to work, but it would be next to impossible to watch a new episode of Bob’s Burgers while operating a car, let alone extremely dangerous.

Most of the people that listen to podcasts are of an older crowd; you would be hard pressed to find a toddler looking for their next fix of Serial. Instead, you see children trying new games, bragging about new apps, and watching their latest, greatest, YouTube subscriber. An interesting question to ask is this: is this because their is simply no podcaster looking to entertain children, or is there just no demand? Would children be less likely to shoo off media like podcasts in favor of more immersive media if they were taught at a younger age to listen to podcasts and radio, to be able to be interested in single-sensory media? Would our kids be less bored overall? Or is simple media doomed because of more experience based media like VR?

I believe podcasts are here to stay for at least a little longer, but more importantly, it is what they represent that we should be considering. Podcasts, in their way, are a symbol for acceptance of new technology, but a striving to use it in a traditional manner: instead of expanding what we can experience, making it easier to use and experience what we are already doing. If not for Podcasts, radio could have gone dead, the art of verbal storytelling could die, and our ability to listen well to other’s words could diminish. I am a big proponent of not just podcasts, but any sort of medium that uses new technology to simply expedite current processes, instead of creating brand new ones.