If we are to take a look at the recording industry today, it can be highly observed that record albums are not the only ones in production – podcasts and audiobooks are now also being created as well. Some people are even known to have full-time jobs that pertain to such activities.
Voice-over artists and book-readers are now among the newest job descriptions of the recording business industry today. Clearly, the impact that audio recording has instilled upon people is a very serious kind of force. Such is the purpose of this research material. For this writing, the impact that the Podcast Industry has done in the United States will be the main focus.
Podcasts As Replacement For Traditional Learning Materials
The main question to be answered for this discussion is this: Are podcasts as beneficial to society as other forms of media like books and magazines? The answer to the question can be initially discussed by how people become educated by listening to audio versions of books instead of reading them. Today, because of the breakthroughs that modern technology has given us, letting books speak to us can be conveniently done in any place people find most comfortable.
In effect, it’s getting harder and harder for parents or any regulating agency to censor or regulate whatever type of reading material is deemed inappropriate for kids or a certain age demographic. To make matters worse, some of those censoring agencies seem to stop caring anymore because new audiobooks and podcasts get uploaded to online portals every day – they are simply impossible to label and index anymore. This is one of the downsides of technology, some harmful media spreads uncontrollably because of the methods that modernization provides.
About the question of whether or not podcasts can be used for educational purposes, there is no deep argument needed for such a claim. Some companies like Reedsy, Audible, and even Apple’s iTunes are constantly publishing educational materials that people can listen to.
Today, almost anyone with very little training and motivation can apply to book-reading platforms in which they can record their voices as they read books. Those audio recordings would then be published as podcasts and audiobooks. Some websites like Openculture.com are also publishing audio versions of famous books for free from highly-acclaimed authors such as Charles Dickens, Issac Asimov, and even William Shakespeare.
Because of the availability of such materials, people can already read books while doing something else. They could be eating, doing household chores, or engaging in their other hobbies as they are immersing themselves in a different kind of book-reading at the same time.
Comparing Podcasts and Audiobooks
Another point to be addressed is the importance of publishing podcasts and audiobooks – if it should be hailed to be as important as publishing books and other reading materials. A modernist would say yes to a question pertaining to the matter. Traditional people however would insist that reading paper books and other printed materials are a far better learning activity than just listening to a piece of recording.
The efficacy of books as top-notch educational tools cannot be disputed for centuries and it could be the reason why they are still widely manufactured, sold, and consumed by people. But that is not to say that other modern materials cannot be equally helpful as well.
If we agree that the end result of information is the storage of it in one’s brain, then it should not matter how a learner absorbs that information. If podcasts contain the same exact words that a paper book has, is it harmful to a person to choose to listen to those words instead of painstakingly reading them?
What The Stats Are Saying About The Issue
If we are to poke into the facts of how many people in the US are listening to podcasts, we can look into research conducted by Smallbizgenius.net which declares that as of 2021, there are around 144 million Americans who download and consume podcasts. The research lists down a total of 40 statistics that can prove the fact. Such a notion is also mirrored by another research conducted by Podcastinginsights.com, a leading authority on the publishing of podcast information.
In an article published on the website, it is stated that 75% of Americans are very familiar with the term “podcasting.” Nielsen ratings also prove that 50% of the homes situated in the US are podcasts fans, which amounts to more than 60 million homes. The reason for this of course is obviously the affordability and availability of mobile phones and other handheld gadgets. The main reason why more and more people are opting to utilize podcasts is convenience.
Carrying a portable computer that can store thousands of books is a lot better than bringing a couple of books inside a backpack. Furthermore, reference materials can be easily accessed online because of the existence of external web links listed along with the very words that comprise the descriptions of the audiobooks inside a student’s digital library stored in his mobile phone or any storage device.
Another convenience that podcasts can give is that they can be copied and redistributed freely and speedily in an almost limitless fashion. The downside to it however is that issues like copyright infringement can be easily committed as well. That issue of course is another story.
The Effects of Podcasts To Modern Culture
But even before digitized versions of books became popular, educational institutions are already labeled guilty for allowing their students to create photocopies of books that are supposed to be purchased from bookstores to obtain legally. Although such a crime, if it can be actually called as such would take more time and obstacle to commit, is the act of copying podcasts any different? It can be done faster and with lesser hassles, therefore the crime of committing it is much more rampant than the mere act of photocopying pages of books.
This is perhaps, one of the most notable downsides of the existence of podcasts – anyone can participate in the act of stealing reading materials that authors work so hard for. Piracy, as what it is most known for is a very serious problem faced by corporations most notably in the recording industry. Although the issue mostly revolves around the publication of music, it could also extend to other areas such as movies, software, video games, and of course, podcasts and audiobooks.
If we are to discuss further how the podcast industry affects modern American society, we can say that it has established a few notable downsides. One of which is its nature of being a “disruptive medium.” Experts say that the publication of book episodes or other media that can be converted into audio form has destroyed business models that were hundreds of times more profitable decades ago.
When podcasts became prevalent in the mid-2000s, millions of them are already published and have been circulating in an unstoppable manner all over the internet. Since then, printed books, as well as other expensive media that can only be consumed from TV or radio stations, are not as pricey anymore. This means great trouble for those industries. But on the other hand, many minor entities are becoming very profitable with their book-conversion efforts.
How This New Media Is Affecting The Economy
From an economical standpoint, countries like the US can greatly benefit from the prevalence of podcasts. It is a known fact that more than any other country in the world, The United States has a lot more computers compared to any other country in the world. This means that the publication and purchasing of podcasts and audiobooks are done at a much higher rate than in any other country.
In effect, the US economy could greatly benefit from the great number of podcasts consumers all over the planet. Furthermore, audiobook readers and podcasters can be easily hired in the country since there are more native English speakers in the land than in almost any other country.
The podcast industry is a huge business opportunity for any American, as well as for any individual who might pursue a career out of voice recording for either educational or recreational purposes. When exploited properly, the American economy could be boosted to higher levels because it can provide employment and livelihood for even those with low educational attainments.
Conclusion
The existence of the podcast industry has a lot of pros and cons. But by delving into the matter deeper, it can be observed that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages. Even though traditionalists might declare podcasts and audiobooks as inferior compared to actual printed paper books, the prevalence, and popularity of the former will never be brought down to a much lower level.
In the next few decades, we could be seeing a paperless society, such as the prediction of some modernists and technology enthusiasts. Though such a concept is too far-fetched as of now, being in a society with very low dependence on paper, and with a much higher reliance on digital technology will be very likely.
In fact, such a kind of environment is even very evident now, as ebooks and various forms of multimedia are becoming more available for anyone. Podcasts are doing more good than harm, and they should be utilized to the fullest in the furthering of education.
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