Contemporary textual forms, including multimodal texts, have changed the relationship between composer and responder. How is this true for the podcast Serial?
The accessibility and power of rapidly evolving communication technologies have shifted the relationship in which responders interact with texts. Through the creation of contemporary multimodal texts which offer a multitude of reading pathways, composers put the responders at the forefront as active participants in the creation of meaning. Sarah Koenigs's podcast “Serial” has changed the relationship between composer and responder as it invited the audience to challenge the norm opening new possibilities for the participant to seek social justice, empowering responders to question and
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Episode One immediately engages responders in the investigation through Koenigs's opening monologue, subverting the atypical detective's and private investigator's interrogation by asking and using rhetorical questions on the listeners such as “Last Wednesday, for instance... Did you go to any stores that day? If so, what did you buy?” and prompts them with “Are you sure?” This plunges the responder into a confrontation with the composer questioning their memory and therefore subsequently questioning the reliability and accuracy of Adnan Syed’s original verdict knowing he had to recall a day six weeks earlier. Keonig further cultivates this scepticism of Adnan’s case through the skilful use of archival audio from Kevin Urick's testimony, where he claims that Asia Mclean wrote the affidavit "to please [the family] and get them off her back," contradicting the scanned letter and affidavit that Asia Mclean wrote. Koenig enhances the investigation by leveraging contemporary texts as means to communicate more evidence through the use of the serialpodcast.org website housing the statements written by Asia, allowing the audience to take on the role of internet sleuths. This interactive approach empowers responders to critically evaluate Adnan Syed's case, actively participating in the fight against injustices held within the US judicial system. However, while this process can offer an illusion of impartial participation, when Keonig states that to accept Jay's version and stories they would have to accept that “Adnan wasn't just a killer, but a master liar and manipulator.” influencing the responder's perception towards Adnan's innocence, rendering the responders vulnerable to Keonigs own conformational bias and selectively curated information. The blurring of boundaries between