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Serial Podcast Analysis

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Serial is an investigative journalism podcast hosted by Sarah Koenig, narrating a nonfiction story over multiple episodes. The series was co-created and is co-produced by Koenig and Julie Snyder and developed by This American Life. It takes an unorthodox approaches to storytelling that its creator Sarah Koenig employs, and, given the podcast’s massive success, it seems that the public is hungry for these new kinds of narratives. Serial and podcasts are growing in population because of its access, personal relation, consistency, the need for change in storytelling, and the truth revealed in them. Sarah Koenig never expected for Serial to be this popular. Some reasons why it had grown in listeners is it is free. You can access any Serial episode …show more content…

She doesn't come off to the listener as clearly more authoritative, or so much more keenly insightful, or having massive intellectual gifts; rather, she comes across as asking the sorts of questions and taking the kinds of approaches that you might have. There's a realness to podcasting that you do not get anywhere else. Writing is often edited. Video has a lot of production to it. Radio is very rigid, and similar issues exist with many other media. You may watch every episode of your favorite TV show, but do you feel like you truly know the people you see on screen? Probably not, because what you see is an act. Podcasts are the closest form of storytelling that is similar to face to face storytelling. People are more attracted to stories that are told in more personal form. Most of what people share in podcasting is their authentic selves. “Authenticity” is about being real, not about being fully transparent. Since the beginning of time, oral storytelling has served a critical role as the sole means of abstracting experiences and emotions in narrative form. Ancient oral storytellers were revered keepers of local knowledge, history, and traditions in their communities. Which brings us to today, podcasts may be the future of storytelling. Podcasting is built on the very assumptions that older media have been forced into making, due to technological advances that have ruined their historic pursuit of a mass …show more content…

This is because podcasts are becoming the future of storytelling. You can access podcasts on your smartphone or computer, through streaming or downloading. Either way gives you the access to listen wherever, whenever. Compared to radio, they may be talking about a subject that does not interest you, and they have to talk in a time frame so they can play their advertising on time. Podcasts are the closest form of storytelling, to actual face to face telling. Just having a voice speak to you is more personal, than having to read perfectly edited words, videos are heavily produced, there's a realness to podcasting that you do not get anywhere else. You can hear the enthusiasm in a podcast, but not by reading story. Podcasts are willing to be more open about opinions, thoughts, and theories, compared to other sources of storytelling. This is exactly what the American people want when being entertained. As a culture, we've moved away from simple narrative and we embrace complexity. When people listen to Serial, they form their own theories, and creates great conversation about the material. Serial is an example as of why podcasts are the

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