Investigating Genres

Ivan Linares, "Microphone, Audio, Radio". 02/02/15. via Pixabay. CC0 Public Domain.

With the emergence of new technologies, there comes new ways to produce media and even so called "new media" emerges. New media can be referred to types of media such as a podcast segment, a quick reference guide or a video essay. I have decided to look at, or hear, some examples of a new media: the podcast segment.

• The purpose of a podcast segment is to provide content to an audience in an audible format. With a podcast segment, you are able to use sound to help the audience paint a picture in their head of the content being provided via special sound effects and clever sound editing and mixing. Generally, the podcast segment serves as media which can be used while performing another task such as driving to work or walking.  

• The audience tends to come across this new media online on digital formats such as iTunes, Spotify or the website of the author of the podcast segment. Also, podcast segments can also be found on Youtube in the form of a video where the video is simply the audio of the podcast segment but with pictures being shown for visual references made in the podcast segment. However, the general form in which a podcast segment is presented in is an audio file.

• The audience for this genre are usually listeners who want to listen to content created by people who they find entertaining, informative or their content appealing. A meaningful amount of these listeners will listen to this content on a portable device or while they are doing another task,

• Podcast segments allows you to take in content with only one of your five senses: hearing. As opposed to say video which requires you to listen and watch, a podcast segment only requires you to listen and this makes the genre a very "portable" one of sorts. You can be going for a jog or doing homework and you can still be able to listen to your podcast. So, the genre does not require a lot of your full attention in order to interact with it as opposed to say visual media.

• Based on the text above, a podcast segment is an audible genre of new media in which it can be used to provide content that can be created by anyone. The content typically created in this format may relate to something in pop culture or in the daily activities of the creator of the podcast. 

Reflection: From reading my peers' posts on genres such as the podcast and quick reference guide, I learned some new things on these genres such as how the podcast is very organic and the quick reference uses a heavy dose of pictures. I realized that reading other people's thoughts of what they think a genre is composed of gives you new insight into the genre and the person as well.

I replied to the posts of Ben Macklin and Benjamen Meyer.