Abstract

Is a podcast now a video? A paid for series? A live show? An experience? Is the medium at a tipping point where the future is less about audio and more about offering a specific kind of social experience to audiences? Or is there still a thread, or a podcast DNA that can still cut through? As Tiziano Bonini noted in 2022, when we use the word ‘podcast’ today it may carry a different meaning. If we sit in an arena with 5000 other people to see a live podcast tour, do we need to close our eyes to hear it as a podcast?
Audiences are now increasingly using YouTube as their platform of choice, with the platform now claiming 1 billion monthly views. This substantially increases the reach of podcasts, but it also places pressure on podcasters to exploit the visual opportunities and produce dedicated versions in video.  This in turn poses questions for not only the direction of the medium but also in how teach the medium to students