podcasts in 5 years | socializing, making money, learning knowledge? what are they listening to?
2024-09-16
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chao news client reporter zhao qian jiang wenli
in the era of short videos, fragmented information brings a sense of restraint, and more and more people are trying to "quit" their phones. as a result, podcasts, which were once a niche, are becoming popular again and have a wider influence.
data from professional podcast search engine listennotes shows that as of may 2023, the cumulative number of chinese podcasts has reached 57,000, nearly six times the same period in 2020.
why have podcasts regained popularity among young people? what makes them so attractive? a reporter from trending news caught up with several podcast listeners on the streets of hangzhou and listened to their stories about podcasts. he also received some recommendations from fellow listeners.
listen to interesting topics in the circle of friends
zhou ruiming, a university teacher born in the 1980s, has been listening to podcasts for 2 years
as a journalism teacher, zhou ruiming calls himself an "atypical podcast listener."
in 2020, when the podcast platform xiaoyuzhou app was launched, he began to listen to podcasts in his fragmented time. generally speaking, he would listen to any interesting topics in his circle of friends, and thus pay attention to specific podcast columns. he prefers humanities and social science podcasts because he can learn about the latest social trends and new things, such as "babel tower dictionary" and "left and right".
zhou ruiming's interest in podcasts comes mostly from his reading preference. "many times, i will unconsciously interrupt serious text reading to look for more interesting content that can enhance sensory stimulation. in this regard, podcasts have more advantages than public accounts. it can isolate me from the outside world with just a pair of headphones, allowing me to establish a virtual communication relationship with the podcast host and enjoy a world of my own. this privatization also provides podcast hosts with a relatively open space for expression, which helps listeners receive more diverse perspectives."
"many podcasts are divided into segments. if the host can express insightful opinions in each segment, or share experiences beyond my own, which makes me feel like i have gained new knowledge, i will keep listening."
if the time is right, he would also like to offer a course that would allow students to express their views on specific social issues in the form of a podcast.
zhou ruiming is cautiously optimistic about the prospects of podcasts and attempts by media to transform into podcasts. "in the past few years, many media and internet practitioners have started to create podcasts, providing specific users with in-depth products that conform to current digital media consumption habits. this is a good attempt, but it may face some survival issues, such as whether the business model can support its development? can it have a lasting impact on its target users? to some extent, most of the podcasts that survive present a stable triangle structure, that is, money is not a problem, the topic selection is not a landmine, and positive feedback from users can be obtained. it is not easy to achieve this state, but it is a difficulty that must be overcome in the development of the podcast ecosystem."
emotional value maxed out
wen jing, a 95-year-old advertising professional, has been listening to podcasts for one year
wen jing, who has just started working, calls herself an online novel lover who "accidentally stumbled upon" podcasts. she never listened to podcasts before, and in her impression, audio programs are an old-fashioned type of media. until this year, when she was searching for novels online, she came across the miscellaneous talk show podcast "aotu dianbo", which changed her view of podcasts:
"the content of 'aotu dianbo' is very good. it also invites many professional media people to be the hosts, telling their daily experiences and discussing interesting topics, such as mbti rules, workplace rules, human-machine love, etc. the emotional value is full! it is very suitable for listening while riding the subway or slacking off at work."
wen jing believes that it is very likely that podcasts will replace other media: "there are more and more young people around me who listen to podcasts. it seems that when people don't want to listen to music or have nothing to do, they use podcasts to break the information gap and learn about other people's lives. if you like general business topics, podcasts such as 'sound of morning coffee' are also recommended for everyone to listen to."
main channels for obtaining information
fang jiayi, a post-80s financial practitioner, has been listening to podcasts for 5 years
podcasts are one of fang jiayi's main channels for obtaining information. a few years ago, she was introduced to apple podcasts by a friend, and she has been hooked ever since. she listens to podcasts on everything from driving to doing housework. she likes to listen to podcasts on history, philosophy, and finance, such as "crazy investment circle", which are informative and interesting.
"as time goes by, the topics i'm interested in change, and i keep discovering new treasure podcasts. generally speaking, the podcasts that attract me to listen to are hosted by more professional hosts, and the content is not boring. for example, when i'm driving, it's the background music that can help me broaden my horizons and learn new knowledge. it greatly improves the efficiency of my time utilization, which is worth it."
in fang jiayi's view, podcasts have irreplaceable advantages over other media: "i will actively choose media platforms instead of letting them lead me, just like i basically don't use xiaohongshu or watch short videos. the reason why i prefer podcasts is that in addition to the wide coverage of content, more importantly, it is highly professional and can satisfy the audience's curiosity, which is different from platforms that provide a lot of rough content."
it's quite interesting to listen to other people talking when you are bored.
abin, a travel blogger born in the 1990s, has been listening to podcasts for one year
abin, a blogger who came to zhejiang from taiwan for tourism, was reading a book at tsutaya bookstore. his friend who was traveling with him happened to be a podcast host.
"last year, i discovered podcasts by chance. i thought it was interesting to listen to people talking when i was bored, so i started listening. the one that impressed me the most was a podcast about dating apps. many people often use (dating apps), but i had never used them. after listening to it, i felt like i had suddenly realized something. it turns out that people really need to use dating apps to get to know different people. i didn't understand it because i didn't have such friends around me."
speaking of his favorite podcast host, he pointed to his friend with a smile: "my favorite blogger is here. she has two podcast programs, "live well" and "one cup and two pieces". one is a popular science podcast about life, and the other is a cantonese program. they have just started, but the content is very informative. i am even willing to pay for both programs."
when talking about the prospects of podcasts, he shared his views: "podcasts are unlikely to replace social media such as xiaohongshu. different media have different markets. the user base of the latter may be people who want to get information quickly, while podcasts target people who need to listen to content for a long time."
podcasts are my life companion
zhang xin, a post-80s internet professional, has been listening to podcasts for 4 years
zhang xin got to know podcasts because of her friends' sharing. now, podcasts have become a part of her life. whether she is washing up in the morning, driving, or doing housework, she will turn on a podcast to listen. she feels that the particularity of audio media determines the "companionship" of podcasts. as long as listeners are willing, they can listen to their favorite programs anywhere and get in-depth information.
"platforms like xiaohongshu emphasize visual experience and have shallow content. wechat public accounts require readers to calm down and read, which requires a lot of brainpower. podcasts are different. if you are busy with something that doesn't require you to use your brain, you can keep your ears open and absorb some nutrients from time to time."
when would you pay for a podcast? zhang xin answered that it depends on the content and quality of the podcast. "for me, i would pay for some business analysis and trend analysis. if i can get helpful content at a low cost, it feels very worthwhile."
willing to pay for valuable podcasts
xiaojin, a postgraduate student born in the 1990s, has been listening to podcasts for 3 years
xiao jin used to have the impression that listening to the radio was something only the elderly would do, but now she clearly feels that there are more young friends around her listening to podcasts.
in podcasts, xiao jin does not listen to those popular programs, but chooses programs about poetry, philosophy, and literature based on topics that interest her, such as feminism. as she spoke, she opened her phone and showed her favorite podcast, her words her voice: "this is a program i often listen to. the host will share some excellent female literary works with everyone. her voice is calm but powerful, and i feel touched from time to time."
xiao jin said that she is not opposed to paying for podcasts that produce high-quality and valuable content. "i have paid for 'myrrh garden', which is a suspense podcast that retells the details of real cases. the content in it is sometimes very sad to listen to."
listen to podcasts when you're bored on your commute
orange 95 post-editing listening to podcasts for 1 year
chengzi listens to podcasts when she is bored during her commute: "when i am on the subway to work, i really want to close my eyes and not look at my phone, so i listen to podcasts. i like inspirational podcasts, such as yang tianzhen's podcast 'innocent or not', and the financial podcast 'sound and motion morning coffee'."
chengzi is also interested in horror podcasts and has paid for blackwater park before. "if i like the topics they discuss, i might decide to pay after listening for a while. it's not expensive. the most i spend is a dozen dollars."
in her opinion, the rise of podcasts is inevitable, but they will not completely replace other media channels, because young people need to receive both audio information and visual stimulation. "i like to receive knowledge through my ears because i can listen to it. i am also a user of bilibili, and some video up hosts also do podcasts."
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