by By: Sidney Wu
As technology evolves and content becomes more accessible, different forms of entertainment are fighting to be number one. However, the arguable underdog, podcasts, have recently risen in popularity.
In 2006, Statista recorded that only 22 percent of adults were even aware of podcasting. But as of 2022, the listener population has jumped to 79 percent in the U.S. Researchers predict that by 2024, there will be over 100 million listeners. But what has prompted this recent influx?
The demographic of monthly podcast listeners is between the age of 12-34 years old. Joe Rogan, American UFC commentator and more recently known podcaster, has been the number one ranked podcast globally and in the U.S. for the past two years. Rogan’s podcast listeners, aged between 18-34 years old, enjoy his commentary about pop culture, drugs and politics weekly.
Other podcast honorable mentions are “Call Her Daddy” with Alex Cooper, “Brain Leak” with Wood Elf Media and “Crime Junkie” with Audiochuck.
In the modern age, most media consumption involves watching a screen, whether that be a phone, TV or laptop. The allure of podcasts is it’s hands-free approach. Listeners can simply put on their earphones and listen to a podcast while also getting other tasks done. Podcasts allow people to get the content they crave from their favorite influencers without having to stare at a screen for hours.
Speaking for myself, sometime my music gets repetitive when I haven’t added any new songs, but with Podcasts, there is always new content to listen to. I typically spend around three to four hours a day listening to podcasts while I work out, do my homework, walk/drive to school or even eat meals. I bounce from podcast to podcast waiting for my favorite influencers to release their weekly content. I love the conversational aspect of podcasts because they feel casual and easy to relate to. It’s almost as if I’m in the room with my favorite influencers.
Some of my favorite podcasts are “Brooke and Connor Make a Podcast” with Brooke Averick and Connor Wood and “Zane and Heath Unfiltered” with Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar. I enjoy light-hearted podcasts that I can get a good laugh out of and distress me from my busy college life.
As for the projection of the podcast industry, I would predict more podcasts will try to add a video form to appeal to the audience that doesn’t prefer only listening to podcasts. I’m interested to see what other celebrities or influencers will hop on the podcast train as the podcast listener numbers rapidly increase.
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I have also noticed a rise in podcast popularity, especially regarding entertainment podcasts. Before a few years ago podcasts felt as if they were targeted to an older generation but recently we’ve seen a massive growth in podcast genres especially podcasts targeted to younger audiences. Thanks for your insight of this topic!
I completely agree that podcasts have risen exponentially in popularity within the last year or so. I feel like this could be because of the addiction to entertainment people have and the need to be constantly listening or watching some form of media. I feel as though podcasts, just as books are romanticized in our culture today.
This is a great post and I strongly agree with the points you made. Podcasts are changing how we consume media. I got into podcasts during the pandemic lockdown, as I was tired of listening to my own thoughts haha. I found podcasts to be mentally stimulating and relaxing for me to listen to. As you said, it makes me feel like I am having a conversation with my favorite influencers. I feel like I am talking to someone but not actually having to put any social effort into it. I have even thought of starting my own podcast with a friend because those are the ones I relate to the most. I find myself playing podcasts more than listening to music in my free time these days.
I believe that the rise of podcasts has been great. I enjoy the “Smartless” podcast with Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean Hayes. This podcast, among many others, allows us to learn about topics we’re interested in from industry professionals.
Hi Sidney! I agree with everything you said. I feel like years ago I barely would hear about podcasts, and now all of sudden it is a common topic of conversation. I am an avid podcast listener and love to find new ones to engage in during walks, runs, cleaning, etc… They are an easy thing to put on and multitask to, which may be my favorite aspect of them. They are also very informational, and I do feel I learn a lot from them or create new perspectives on different things. So fun to see new ones coming out!
Hi Sidney! I was shocked to hear that the percentage of listeners of podcasts from 2006 to 2022 had a 57 percentage increase! I definitely agree with your statement that podcasts are a good way for us to listen to the content that we enjoy, without having to look at our screen all day everyday. I also think that many podcasts include good educational information that we can use in our everyday lives.
Hi! I enjoyed reading your blog and I have to say, I’m surprised to see that podcasts have experienced a significant surge in popularity over the past year. Podcast has make a difference to help us listen to the content we enjoy, which also avoids us to consume media constantly. It seems that podcasts have become a good element in our culture today, and I hope to see podcasts continue to increase.