Fun fact, “Podcasting” was first defined in Wikipedia in November 2004, and one of the earliest adopters from the mainstream media was the BBC, in the UK, with the BBC World Service show, Go Digital, podcast in August 2001.
We’ve come a heck of a long way since then, and now there is approximately more than 700,000 active podcasts and more than 29 million podcast episodes (according to podcast statistics 2019). Podcasts are literally pumping through our headphones like nobody’s business, especially when you compare that just last year these numbers stood at 550,000 and 18.5 million respectively, according to Apple at WWDC 2018.
Particularly within the media world, you must’ve noticed that everyone seems to be jumping on the bandwagon, from the likes of Mamamia, which now has a whole podcast section, check it out here, to Pacific Mags, see here.
It seems podcasting is fast becoming the go-to medium for us to tune into current news, pop culture chat, in-depth interviews, crime, sport conversations, parenting, and the list goes on, and on and on.
Giving much more freedom than standard radio stations, the perceived beauty of podcasts is that there seems to be a topic to please every ear, and most run at around 43 minutes, which fits nicely into a morning/evening commute, or even as the perfect relaxant as you cook dinner. Maybe it awakens in us something akin to a bedtime story of our younger years which makes us so fond of a cosy chat in our ear?
Considering we’re normally visual beings, with incredibly short attention spans (according to a study by Microsoft, the average human being now has an attention span of just eight seconds!) it’s interesting that podcasting is suddenly having such a moment and continues to boom with more podcasts springing up by the minute!
But with so many on the market, is there a danger we’ll end up getting paralysis of what to listen to and just end up turning off altogether? And will many budding podcasters, with new mics and an eager voice, get lost amongst the swathes of other hopefuls thinking they’re on to a trick?
Only time will tell, but if you are planning to join the podcast party, you might want to take inpso from what is currently capturing the ears of the nation, with the Top 100 Podcasts In Australia (Apple Podcasts Top Charts): www.podcastinsights.com/top-australian-podcasts (hint, hint, true crime seems to lend itself incredibly well to this platform, just look at how The Teacher’s Pet gripped the nation.)
Now, let me get back to my podcast! What am I currently listening to? Well, I can’t get enough of Oprah’s Supersoul Sundays (for some serious feel good and deep thinking vibes!)
