Podcast: this is what the new media is that makes you addict!
What is a podcast? You may have already heard of this new media, but it is possible that you do not know the translation of the term and its actual meaning. America is an established reality, and for a long time!
Suffice it to say that the first successful American podcast dates back to 2014: it is Serial, which has since then totaled more than 250 million downloads. Here it is still a niche phenomenon, but in constant growth, and "there are those who would bet on its imminent explosion ... But before discovering which Italian and foreign podcasts are essential to approach this media, let's find out together" it is and how it works.
What is podcast? Here is the meaning and translation of the term!
The term "podcast" is made up of the "union of two English words:" pod "and" cast "." Cast "means" to spread ": if you notice, it was already contained in the word" broadcast ", referring to the radio broadcast over the air. "Pod", on the other hand, literally means "pod" and derives from that technological tool that about ten years ago changed our habits as users of digital audio: the Apple iPod. It therefore refers to a particular type of physical medium for audio transmission.
To suggest the term "podcast" was a journalist from The Guardian, Ben Hammersley, who tried to define with a neologism a phenomenon that had just exploded in the States, which then became a mass success with the aforementioned "Serial".
Ok, the meaning of the term is clear, but what is a podcast in practice? The answer is simple: they are audio files made specifically to be listened to on computer devices or electronic devices (from mp3 players to smartphones).
These audios can be listened to on the same site where they are collected, directly online, or they can be downloaded. By subscribing, then, it is possible to automatically receive the new episodes on the chosen device as they are published.
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Why does podcast make you addict?
This new media is full of potential and there are several reasons why those who start listening to podcasts easily become addicts and can no longer do without it!
First of all, it is easy and convenient to use. After downloading one, you can listen to it at any time: while we are in the gym, while driving, while cooking, in bed and so on. It does not require any kind of "visual" commitment and we can therefore use it even while we are carrying out another "manual activity. This is an advantage that should not be underestimated in a world like the one we live in, full of visual stimuli, whether it is the screen of a smartphone, TV or PC.
Precisely because we are constantly bombarded by images, the possibility of dedicating ourselves to pure listening allows us to find a deeper concentration, creating a decidedly "understood" connection between us and the voice we are listening to, which seems to want to speak to us in the first person. It is therefore an "immersive, slow and personal experience, definitely different from the noisy fragmentation we are used to on social media, where we hardly have the opportunity to really deepen. Listening to a podcast you will almost have the feeling of disconnecting from everything else .. relaxing, as well as interesting!
The podcast, then, is a heterogeneous media at best: the audios can deal with an "infinity of different topics and everyone will find what they do for themselves, based on their tastes and interests. The purpose, primarily, is to inform, but it can be interviews, stories, testimonies, advice, comments that can relate to our favorite TV series like a football match, the story of an "intimate experience like a new recipe, a" personal experience like a political affair ... everything more, in short!
Finally, are you wondering why podcast makes us all so addict? Perhaps the answer is even more trivial: this media reminds us how good it is to be told a story. It is a primary need of all of us because stories help us understand the world and above all ourselves.
Which podcasts to follow? Here are the unmissable, Italian and foreign!
Are you interested in learning about the podcast universe but you don't know where to start? Here are some suggestions to start experimenting. These are podcasts of different kinds, Italian and foreign, but still among the most followed and appreciated.
Let's start with the award-winning Serial, already mentioned above, known for being the first big success-podcast in America. What is about? Each season tells a story, strictly true. The first, for example, tells the story of the murder (which actually happened) of a student in a Baltimore high school in 1999 ...
If you appreciate the genre, but prefer an Italian podcast, bet on Veleno: it is a seven-part podcast, produced by Repubblica, which tells a story that has disappeared from the newspapers: that of the parents who twenty "years ago were accused of being satanist pedophiles, whose children were taken away forever.
Changing the subject entirely, one of the most interesting Italian podcasts is Monnalisa: a journey through the female world, to get to know its thousand faces and multiple shades from different and original points of view. A series of interviews, with a light and deep tone together, with famous and non-famous women, through which today's society is told, touching on themes of fashion, style, costume and giving voice to the many and different ideas of femininity.
If you're into marketing, you can't miss Seth Godin's podcasts, all of which focus on the subject. Godin is a writer and entrepreneur with an amazing career, but above all a marketing genius, both viral and direct. You will only have to learn from him!
Let's go back to Italy again with another very interesting podcast, which however focuses on US politics. This is Da Costa a Costa, held by Francesco Costa, deputy director of ilPost.it and one of the leading experts in American politics and society. If you want to know every background of the Trump government, this is the place for you.
Finally, we close with a final suggestion, very feminine: Goop, the podcast by Gwyneth Paltrow. The actress, together with Elise Loehnen, discuss in each episode with personalities of great interest, from thinkers to creatives, from CEOs to spiritual leaders, all to face the changes in our society.
Did you know, by the way, that Gwyneth is among the highest paid actresses in Hollywood? Here are all the others:
