In his chapter “To Each Their Own Bubble: Mobile spaces of sound in the City”, Michael Bull analyzes the implications of how listening to music and phone calls changes a listener’s public environment into a private space; however, a form of sound media that Bull lacks to consider is podcasts. This is especially interesting considering Bull’s focus on the level of intimacy which he believes sound can create in public spaces, because I argue that podcasts are much more intimate than music and - sometimes - phone calls. Podcasts, like music, create a private space for listeners to escape to, but unlike music, they also allow listeners to toe the line of reciprocal versus background listening. Regardless, its value must be considered.
Much like music, podcasts can be utilized to create a private space while physically in public; for example, when I listen to podcasts at the gym or on my walk to class, I’ve immersed myself in the world of the podcast while simultaneously being on a treadmill or walking under trees. Like Bull states in his chapter, podcasts are capable of creating a sanctuary from chaotic public spaces. Personally, I’ve found that after having a stressful day, I like to tune into a comedy podcast just to unwind. Podcasts are like movies in that they provide constant, unique entertainment but do not require listeners to utilize their eyes; it’s a "happy medium".
Podcasts also allow listeners to choose between listening reciprocally or “backgroundly”. While phone calls essentially force listeners to listen reciprocally (unless the person on the other end of your call is comfortable with speaking into a silent void - that’s okay, I guess), podcasts give listeners more prerogative. While podcast listeners can’t respond directly to the podcasters in the moment - they could potentially leave them a message on their media platforms later - they can be fully focused on the podcast and react (laughing out loud, for example).
Finally, podcasts can be especially valuable to introverts (self-proclaimed or otherwise). Since podcasters tend to open up on their platform about personal stories, they reach a level of intimacy - which Bull finds intrinsic to creating a private space - with their listeners that perhaps some might find difficult to achieve with daily peers. Podcasts, therefore, create an easy opportunity to foster this level of connection. However, podcasts do create an imbalanced dynamic between the podcaster and the listener; while the listener knows the podcaster on an intimate level, the same cannot be said about the listener from the podcaster’s point of view. This implication reveals a lack in reciprocal listening in podcasts that perhaps a phone call would possess. On the other hand, music lacks this intimacy-imbalance completely because personal stories aren’t being shared through this media (unless, however, you’d like to argue that songs are musical renditions of personal stories. I could see that).
In essence, while Bull did not consider podcasts in his analysis, podcasts are a valuable vehicle for creating private spaces when listeners utilize them in public areas.
Citations:
Michael Bull, “To Each Their Own Bubble: Mobile spaces of sound in the City,” in Mediaspace: place, scale, and culture in a media age, ed. Michael Bull (New York City: Routledge 2004), 275-293.
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