Any given medium of communication is unique. When I watch a television show I am internalizing the audio and video components at the same time, with a podcast just the audio (generally speaking). When I read a book I am only using my eyes, but when I watch the movie made from the book I am using my eyes and ears. I believe that these simple distinctions are massively important in understanding how people receive and digest information.
For instance, books are imaginary landscapes that grow and evolve as you turn the pages. You can rely on your own knowledge and imagination to carry you through the story that the book is telling, but you only see the picture of the story that you have created in your mind. Television on the other hand creates that picture for you and tells the visual story that you would have created yourself otherwise. It’s less mental work to watch television compared to reading a book. We imagine things differently when we have the opportunity to create part of the story ourselves.
Podcasts are a little different. To me, they are often conversations about a particular topic and almost always about that topic exclusively andt hey are not always story based. With the lack of video of most podcasts, you only get the audible conversation piece. This allows for someone to focus more closely on the actual information being communicated without becoming distracted by any sort of visual. That’s my opinion at least. Ultimately, I believe that the more the medium does for you, the less work you have to do and the less fulfilling the experience is as a human.
The message in the medium of podcasting is simple. It is to connect people who know about things to people who want to know about those things. The message is clear and straightforward, unlike other types of media and mass media.
