- Describe at least two ways in which you think the “medium” (the audio, the video, the two combined) affects how you make sense of the content? Be sure to provide evidence from the videos to support the meaning carried by the medium.
Having the audio without the visuals puts the focus on the words being said. With the visuals, there is an extra layer added with visual symbols. For example, in the first video, there is an upbeat electronic outro after the mention of the internet. With the visual, there is some extra humor because there is an image of a cat playing a keyboard, something you might see in internet media. Having the audio alone puts the focus on the words being spoken, and the sounds that accompany it. It lets you pay attention to things like quotes from other audio being included, or how the music matches the speaker’s pace.
- Let’s consider podcasting with the two videos and the podcast “complete” history in mind. Write 250-400 words to explain what you take to be the “message” in the medium of audio storytelling, or podcasting.
There are several things that make podcasting an interesting medium. Podcasting is a method of storytelling in the same vein as oral tradition, but unlike oral tradition, it has the same uniformity as printed books. Another thing the two of the two of those have in common is that they are not entirely visual. Yes, you read books with your eyes, but the images described in them are only within your mind. The same is true of podcasts. You hear someone describing a person and you construct an image in your mind, or hear their voice and think of what they might look like. But without the visual input being required, (for example, oftentimes podcasts do not have descriptions or pictures of characters or hosts at all) it gives the message that visuals are not as important as what is being told, the story itself and the environment created by the audio.
