Katie Larason is an aspiring public relations skilled from Kalamazoo, Michigan. She is at the moment a senior at Purdue College finding out public relations and strategic communication.
The variety of podcast listeners is on the rise — anticipated to rise to 464.7 million customers throughout 2023, based on Oberlo. This common format modifications the way in which we eat media and engages school college students. Riverside’s “Podcast Statistics and Tendencies” knowledge says that fifty% of U.S. podcast listeners fall between the ages of 12–34..
As a school scholar with an ear for podcasts, I thought of my very own perspective of the digital media and requested fellow college students how podcasts match into their day-to-day lives.
College students shared how this longer type of media content material is nice for lengthy walks and commutes, whereas understanding, or whereas doing actions round the home corresponding to cooking or cleansing. A research from Riverside discovered that “74% of podcasts listeners tune in to be taught new issues, whereas others pay attention frequently for leisure, to maintain updated, to loosen up, and for inspiration.” For some, podcasts can present a way of group and construction throughout this period of at all times being on-the-go.
School college students comply with the podcasting world via a number of streaming providers. A 2020 research from Statista confirmed that Spotify was the “mostly used app for listening to podcasts in the USA,” with 25% of listeners selecting this platform.
Frequent subjects college students gravitate towards embody comedy, leisure, schooling, well being and wellness, historical past, information, politics, and true crime.. The scholars I surveyed are drawn to podcasts primarily based on who the host is and if any visitor stars might be included within the dialog. The vast majority of college students shared that they take pleasure in listening to personality-driven channels corresponding to “Workplace Girls,” “The Joe Rogan Expertise“ and “Unlocking Us with Brené Brown.” There was additionally a development in college students favoring well being and wellness podcasts like “The Mindset Mentor” and “On Objective with Jay Shetty.”
Many podcasts function ads as a method for companies to succeed in huge audiences whereas additionally serving as a income stream for podcasters. Information from Advert Outcomes Media demonstrates that 51% of listeners usually tend to take heed to ads on podcasts moderately than on different media platforms. When asking college students about advert placements, I discovered that they constantly skip via the ads, however are extra persuaded to take heed to them if it’s the podcast’s host themselves selling the advert moderately than a random voice interrupting this system. When it comes to a extra common viewers, nonetheless, knowledge from Advert Outcomes Media discovered larger ranges of listener engagement, with 74% of listeners following up with ads after listening to them throughout a podcast. The information exhibits that selling ads in podcasts will be an efficient advertising technique, however just isn’t significantly common amongst college students.
Whereas college students use podcasts of their on a regular basis duties, the know-how additionally performs an element within the classroom. A research on “The Results of Podcasting on School Pupil Achievement and Angle” explores the position of podcasts as a “instructing enhancement device” the place school college students “might expertise extra success if school academics have been capable of personalize curricula” and assign content material in a up to date method. The research discovered that college students benefited from the usage of podcasts and supported the know-how which supplied flexibility on when, the place and the way college students might entry their assignments..
Podcasts have develop into more and more common amongst school college students as they provide handy technique to interact with media. As podcasts evolve, so does their capacity to succeed in new audiences, construct communities and act as a beneficial device for private and mental development.
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