Re-rating the Underrated then Overrated Podcast
Like many others, I'm sure, the first podcast I ever heard was Serial. I was honestly thrown by how much I enjoyed the podcast and by how well the medium lends to the delivery of the story itself.
Serial follows Sarah Koenig as she examines a seemingly cold case for which a group of people believe the court outcome is false.
A story told via podcast would seem an exercise in sensory deprivation: if you can only hear a story, as opposed to seeing the story pan out and hearing dialogue in film form, for example, it would make sense for the reception of that story to be altered, even inhibited.
Prior to hearing a podcast, I dismissed it under the circumstance that I doubted my ability to enjoy a story told in such a withheld manner.
However, the podcast has proved a redeemable, unique medium unlimited by its inherent nature.
On the contrary, the unique format and specifications of a podcast are the qualities which distinguish podcasts as a valid, necessary media.
Listening to Serial was defining for me as an appreciator of podcasts, as its medium lent well to the overall delivery of the story.
This medium was effective for Serial, I think in part, due to the large amounts of the story where audio was the most important, at times, the only important aspect of the evidence.
Without the distraction of visuals that contribute almost nothing to the story, Serial allows its audience exclusive focus on the important discussions, phone calls, and interviews that Koenig experienced in her team's dissection of the case.
Like radio, sensory deprivation can be used to the advantage of the producer in terms of audience engagement.
It would seem more difficult to engross an audience using only sound.
Consider this PSA by the Ad Council, for their campaign "Discovering the Forest", which I encountered while working in radio.
This ad struck me in a similar way, in the sense that I found radio deprivatory for many people and unable to compete with other mediums due to it. AKA, wouldn't a PSA about the forest be better if I saw the actual forest?
In contrast, I think this PSA does well to demonstrate the power of sound as the only means of conveying a message.
With visuals, it's almost impossible to appreciate a sound for its entirety or even to distinguish and redeem a sound for improving an experience.
Radio and podcast do well in utilizing sound while it is often underutilized by other media.
Even further, I think visual elements could impede the overall experience of a story such as Serial, perhaps distracting viewers from important evidence or misleading them to focus on non-essential visuals.
A podcast enables producers to force their audience into a selective exposure to only sounds they compile.
This medium offers content creators an opportunity to select what the audience is exposed to in their show, offering only select online visuals when they choose to do so.
In this, the podcast offers audiences an experienced tailored differently than that of a TV show or film; in a sense, they are blinded and must rely on the creator to construct a story in which listeners do not feel limited.
Serial, and many other podcasts have perfected this procedure, encouraging people to listen time and time again.
Serial follows Sarah Koenig as she examines a seemingly cold case for which a group of people believe the court outcome is false.
A story told via podcast would seem an exercise in sensory deprivation: if you can only hear a story, as opposed to seeing the story pan out and hearing dialogue in film form, for example, it would make sense for the reception of that story to be altered, even inhibited.
Prior to hearing a podcast, I dismissed it under the circumstance that I doubted my ability to enjoy a story told in such a withheld manner.
On the contrary, the unique format and specifications of a podcast are the qualities which distinguish podcasts as a valid, necessary media.
Listening to Serial was defining for me as an appreciator of podcasts, as its medium lent well to the overall delivery of the story.
This medium was effective for Serial, I think in part, due to the large amounts of the story where audio was the most important, at times, the only important aspect of the evidence.
Without the distraction of visuals that contribute almost nothing to the story, Serial allows its audience exclusive focus on the important discussions, phone calls, and interviews that Koenig experienced in her team's dissection of the case.
Like radio, sensory deprivation can be used to the advantage of the producer in terms of audience engagement.
It would seem more difficult to engross an audience using only sound.
Consider this PSA by the Ad Council, for their campaign "Discovering the Forest", which I encountered while working in radio.
This ad struck me in a similar way, in the sense that I found radio deprivatory for many people and unable to compete with other mediums due to it. AKA, wouldn't a PSA about the forest be better if I saw the actual forest?
In contrast, I think this PSA does well to demonstrate the power of sound as the only means of conveying a message.
With visuals, it's almost impossible to appreciate a sound for its entirety or even to distinguish and redeem a sound for improving an experience.
Radio and podcast do well in utilizing sound while it is often underutilized by other media.
Even further, I think visual elements could impede the overall experience of a story such as Serial, perhaps distracting viewers from important evidence or misleading them to focus on non-essential visuals.
A podcast enables producers to force their audience into a selective exposure to only sounds they compile.
This medium offers content creators an opportunity to select what the audience is exposed to in their show, offering only select online visuals when they choose to do so.
In this, the podcast offers audiences an experienced tailored differently than that of a TV show or film; in a sense, they are blinded and must rely on the creator to construct a story in which listeners do not feel limited.
Serial, and many other podcasts have perfected this procedure, encouraging people to listen time and time again.
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