Podcasts. I love them. The range of subject matter available is astonishing. I listen to several, ranging from esoteric to travelogues to sport on a regular basis. Each have their own personality: some quirky, others informative, and if you are lucky – both.
Soaring in popularity, over forty percent of internet users listen to at least one podcast a month in the UK alone (Götting, 2023). UK podcast demographic data is revealing too: listeners tend to be younger males, higher earners, looking for innovation, urbanised, into sports and fitness, keen to learn new things, and politically left leaning (Götting, 2023). They also have greater informational needs too, as well as experiencing a heightened sense of community (Ellwood, 2022). The market is huge and accessible with YouTube, Apple Podcasts, SoundCloud, Wondery, Sticher, Spotify and BBCiPlayer occupying some of the main platforms. Yet their influence goes beyond consumerist tastes or self-identity.
Podcasts can also boost our social confidence. Like reading, podcasts can influence us subconsciously. Their conversational style can be infectious. For when I am presenting or in a meeting, I am mindful of the way I sound, conscious of the use of my voice and energy generated in the room. Have you ever sat in a lecture or a meeting and sensed the energy of the person who is speaking? It has an instrumental quality. Each of us have a projection of some kind. Radio, podcasts, the listening ear all have a duty to perform. Tobin & Guadagno’s (2022) illuminating study into podcast listening elicited positive outcomes such as parasocial relationships and social engagement, and fulfilled basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Their research also found that listening to podcasts improve active listening skills and subconsciously they may influence the way we act socially.
Since Covid, many of us started to present online for the first time, which is something which felt very alien to begin with. Podcasts are one way to think about the way we want to present ourselves. Chatty, friendly, engaging, social, adaptable, podcasts are a brilliant way of entering a space where the possibilities of being demonstrably authentic and comfortable in our skins to a broader public. Examine the way some presenters engage with their audience, or how they deal with someone asking a difficult or challenging question, it is often something to admire and absorb. These are the tools of the trade when presenting with social confidence, which are, perhaps, subconsciously channelled via podcast listening.
What podcasts do you listen to? Do they orientate your worldview or conversational style?
References
Ellwood, B. (2022). Listening to podcasts may help satisfy our psychological need for social connection, study finds. Available from: Listening to podcasts may help satisfy our psychological need for social connection, study finds (psypost.org) [Accessed 29th April 2024]
Götting, M. C. (2022). Leading podcast platforms in the U.S. 2020, by age group. Available from: Top podcast platforms in the U.S. 2020 | Statista (lincoln.ac.uk) [Accessed 26th April 2024]
Götting, M. C. (2024). Podcast listenership: selected countries and regions worldwide 2022-2026. Available from: Podcast listeners worldwide by country and region 2022-2026 | Statista (lincoln.ac.uk) [Accessed 26th April 2024]
Götting, M. C. (2023). Podcasts in the UK – statistics & facts | Statista (lincoln.ac.uk). Available from: Podcasts in the UK – statistics & facts | Statista (lincoln.ac.uk) [Accessed 26th April 2024]
Tobin, S. J. & Guadagno, R. E. (2022). Why people listen: Motivations and outcomes of podcast listening. PLoS ONE 17(4). Available from: Why people listen: Motivations and outcomes of podcast listening | PLOS ONE [Accessed 29th April 2024]