podcasting 2.0

Since its relatively recent inception in 2001, and simultaneous rise to popularity, podcasting has become a form of ¨pull medium”, providing podcast users with the power to decide which type of media they desire to consume.  This pull medium is just an extension of similar technological advances such as ipods, ichat, twitter, etc. all of which allow the user to play an interactive role.  This article, “In One Stroke, Podcasting Hits Mainstream”, which comes from the New York Times, is an interesting take on podcasting and how it is another mechanism that Apple has used to sell its products and monopolize current technology.

According to the article, a podcast is literally an audio broadcast posted online.  Podcasts’ best features include their accessibility (it is easy to access them from several internet sites including www.podcast.net or www.podcastalley.com), the fact that they are completely free, and their convenience (people can listen to their favorite podcasts whenever they want).  For example, another article on nytimes.com discussed how different groups of people use podcasts to stay connected to certain aspects of their lives.  For example, members of a certain church often listen to podcasts of recent sermons in order to stay updated and connected to their religious worshiping.  

One important question that the article raises is why Apple has the ability to offer such advanced podcasting services free of charge.  The simple answer to this question is that by offering free podcasts, Apple has the opportunity to advertise and sell more Ipods.  Apple tailors its services directly towards its users and makes its downloads free and available to directly load onto user’s ipods,thus making podcasting that much easier to access through an ipod.

In my opinion, this new form of broadcasting is an excellent way for people to both stay connected with their daily interests and to find newfound interests.  The free aspect of podcasting makes it easier and more likely that more people will become involved and have a desire to stay up to date with their favorite podcasts.  Also, just like Tivo has made watching television at schedule hours a more obsolete activity, I believe that podcasting will make radio broadcasting a more outdated and less frequented activity.  Now, instead of having to tune into radio and television shows as they air, people can elect to listen to these broadcasts at a later date.  Overall, I believe that podcasting is quickly on its way to becoming one of the most prevalent and useful forms of technology–one that will soon enable people to tune in and connect across barriers to spread and receive information.

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