June 28, 2005

Podcasting and Radio, the Bitterest of Pills

Melodramatic subject header aside, I want to get serious. We’re not a bunch of gothed out highschool drama geeks here, this is adult business I come to share! Interest in podcasting is rising at a friggin’ hourly rate. I’ve been reading alot of introductory articles from news sources located all over the country. Soon my mom will know what a podcast is, and my dad will be posting sermons to an xml feed. If you still don’t know what podcasting is and you want to know more, here’s a good example of what I’ve been getting in my email lately.

The only part of this article I disagree with is the labeling of podcasting as a mere “trend”. I was talking with Jon about it the other day and while I do think the heat over this innovation will die down, I don’t think it has the transient quality I would associate with the word “trend”. The difference between podcasting and something trendy like say, neon legwarmers, friendship bracelets and Paris Hilton’s Career is that the technology has broken an irreversible barrier. Now that the podcast cat is out of the cultural bag, there’s no stopping it. Podcasters have tasted the freedom that comes with throwing down the shackles of mainstream radio, and like file sharing, this new technology will continue its spread indefinately. Podcasting works for people on a basic level: now ANYONE is capable of talking about WHATEVER they wish, and they are allowed a platform to grab the world’s ear. People inherently crave a podium, and that is what podcasting taps into. So no, we’re not talking about a trend when we consider it on that level.

Just wanted to add my 2 cents there. Carry on.