Solving Podcasting's Discoverability Problem At The Cost Of Our Mental Health

Regardless of your position on podcasting's "discoverability problem," you probably wouldn't mind it if it were easier for potential listeners to find your podcast, right? Me either. But would that come at a cost?

While not everyone agrees on the severity of the problem, few people doubt that social media platforms have been engineered in ways that really aren't the best for our mental health. 

So far, podcasting hasn't been lumped in with that. Complaints against podcasting personalities are usually a result of... well, the podcaster acting like an asshole. And while the offending comments certainly have an impact on those targeted by the assholery of the podcaster, those problems haven't rolled up to the broader podcasting industry.

But that doesn't mean podcasting is safe.

What keeps us safe, at least as an industry, from being lumped in with "bad for you" content is inherent intentionality baked into the podcast listening experience. 

It takes work to find a podcast to listen to. There isn't a stream of new podcast content pushed at people as they listen. There isn't an algorithm deciding for you what you should listen to. The financial incentive to keep you locked into an app hasn't appeared.

But what if that changed?

Do you really want an app that pushes relevant recommendations the second you stop listening to an episode?

Do you want an app that triages your listening queue for you, promoting and demoting content to you?

Do you want even more content pulled in, giving you no reason ever to leave your more-than-podcasts app?

That's what living in a post-discoverability-problem podcasting world could look like, a future world where podcasting could become another anxiety-inducing, mental-health-damaging aspect of modern living.

And how do we not do that?

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Links

Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm!Cambridge Analytica scandal Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Like the show? Buy me a coffee.Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications. Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!

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Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.

It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with

Regardless of your position on podcasting's "discoverability problem," you probably wouldn't mind it if it were easier for potential listeners to find your podcast, right? Me either. But would that come at a cost?

While not everyone agrees on the severity of the problem, few people doubt that social media platforms have been engineered in ways that really aren't the best for our mental health. 

So far, podcasting hasn't been lumped in with that. Complaints against podcasting personalities are usually a result of... well, the podcaster acting like an asshole. And while the offending comments certainly have an impact on those targeted by the assholery of the podcaster, those problems haven't rolled up to the broader podcasting industry.

But that doesn't mean podcasting is safe.

What keeps us safe, at least as an industry, from being lumped in with "bad for you" content is inherent intentionality baked into the podcast listening experience. 

It takes work to find a podcast to listen to. There isn't a stream of new podcast content pushed at people as they listen. There isn't an algorithm deciding for you what you should listen to. The financial incentive to keep you locked into an app hasn't appeared.

But what if that changed?

Do you really want an app that pushes relevant recommendations the second you stop listening to an episode?

Do you want an app that triages your listening queue for you, promoting and demoting content to you?

Do you want even more content pulled in, giving you no reason ever to leave your more-than-podcasts app?

That's what living in a post-discoverability-problem podcasting world could look like, a future world where podcasting could become another anxiety-inducing, mental-health-damaging aspect of modern living.

And how do we not do that?

-----

Links

Looking for a remote recording solution that handles both audio and video? you need Riverside.fm!Cambridge Analytica scandal Over 100K active podcasters trust Buzzsprout Like the show? Buy me a coffee.Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications. Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!
Got a podcasting service? Become a sponsor of Podcast Pontifications.Serious about podcasting? Join the Advancing Podcasting Community today!

-----

Podcast Pontifications is a production of Simpler Media. New episodes are released weekly, providing ideas and questions every serious podcaster should be thinking about.

It's created and hosted by Evo Terra. Follow him on Twitter for more podcasting insights as they come. Allie Press assists with the production and transcription of the show.

If you received value from today's episode of Podcast Pontifications, return some of that! We call it value-for-value and there are many ways to show your support.

Mentioned in this episode:

Support For Abortion Rights

While Americans overwhelmingly support the right of an individual to make their own decisions about abortion, unfortunately, that right is no longer protected everywhere in the U.S. The Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade on June 24th.

Abortion is a basic healthcare need for the millions of people who can become pregnant. Everyone should have the freedom to decide what’s best for themselves and their families, including when it comes to ending a pregnancy. This decision has dire consequences for individual health and safety, and could have harsh repercussions for other landmark decisions.

Restricting access to comprehensive reproductive care, including abortion, threatens the health and independence of all Americans. Even if you live in a state where abortion rights are upheld, access to safe medical procedures shouldn’t be determined by location, and it shouldn't be the privilege of a small few.

You can help by donating to local abortion funds. To find out where to donate for each state, visit donations4abortion.com.

If you or someone you know needs help, or if you want to get more involved, here are 5 resources:

1. ShoutYourAbortion.com is a campaign to normalize abortion.
2. DontBanEquality.com is a campaign for companies to take a stand against abortion restrictions.
3. Abortion.cafe has information about where to find clinics.
4. PlanCPills.org provides early at-home abortion pills that you can keep in your medicine cabinet.
5. Choice.CRD.co has a collection of these resources and more.

We encourage you to speak up! And spread the word.

This podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis:

OP3 - https://op3.dev/privacy
Chartable - https://chartable.com/privacy
Podsights - https://podsights.com/privacy