The growth of the podcast industry comes at a time when human innovation is arguably at an all-time high. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, people across the world were forced to stay home and had to find new creative outlets and entertainment. In the first six months of 2020, 13.2 million podcasts episodes were published, compared to 16.6 million in all of 2019. Moreover, modern technology has made it not only possible, but extremely easy, to create a podcast and publish it. An episode can be recorded and edited from the comfort of home and registered with a podcast outlet in a matter of hours. This low barrier of entry makes podcasting an extremely unique art that has attracted millions of creatives.
Olivia Abrams, a student at the University of Southern California, started a podcast last year while living in Los Angeles and attending online classes. It’s called “people doing things” [sic] and highlights the stories of Gen Z entrepreneurs and the businesses they created.
“I decided to start my podcast because I felt that there was little spotlight around young entrepreneurship,” Abrams said. “I created ‘people doing things ‘to tell the stories of young creative minds alike. We are the next generation, and our innovation is what will determine the future.”
Millennials and members of Generation Z make up a large portion of podcast listeners. According to an entertainment survey from YPulse, 62 percent of young consumers between the ages of 13 and 39 listen to podcasts, with 26 percent saying they listen to a podcast every week.
For Carolyn Robbins, a 21-year-old college student, podcasts are a part of her day-to-day life, especially when walking or driving alone.
“I love podcasts because they feel like I’m involved in a conversation,” Robbins said. “While I listen to them, I respond to what the host is saying in my own head and relate the topic to things that are happening in my own life, which helps me better myself as a human being. I couldn’t imagine by daily routine without them.”
Another interesting aspect of podcasts is that the subject matter possibilities are endless. Anyone can find a podcast that covers something they’re interested in because topics range from true crime to fitness to diet culture to politics. An episode can be as serious as “The Interpreters the U.S. Left Behind in Afghanistan,” which was recently published by New York Times’ podcast “The Daily,” or as trivial as “How To Trick Him into Proposing,” which was published by the raunchy sex and dating podcast, “Call Her Daddy.”
In fact, “Call Her Daddy” is an incredible example of just how powerful and impacting a podcast can be. At just 26 years old, host Alexandra Cooper recently signed a $60 million three-year deal with Spotify and was called “arguably the most successful woman in podcasting” by TIME Magazine. Cooper started “Call Her Daddy” in 2018 with a co-host, but now hosts it on her own, with an occasional guest. On her podcast, she reflects on her own dating and sex experiences, both past and present, in an uncensored manner with a carefree tone.
College student Jacob Roshkow is an avid” Call Her Daddy” listener and appreciates the podcast because of Cooper’s authenticity.
“I really appreciate how candid [Call Her Daddy] feels in a world where a lot of rhetoric has been carefully combed over. It is really refreshing,” he said.
There are thousands of podcasts like “Call Her Daddy” that have cult listener bases and are expanding their reaches by the episode. As the podcast boom continues worldwide, one can only imagine the profound effects it will have on society in 2021 and beyond.
Brett Chody Trends contributor Polo lifestyles 2021