Abstract
In podcasting, the intimacy of the listening experience has been long been one of its strengths. The connection between the host/creator and the listener can been deeply personal - and influential. The listener’s role in selecting the content and the listening environment, creates a relationship unlike that involved in conventional audio listening via media like radio. The relationship between the podcaster and the listener can also be fraught with potential for deception and misinformation. From a casual lack of fact-checking or a lazy reliance on dubious sources, to a systematic effort to push a particular ideology, podcasters have the power to seed misinformation, accidentally or deliberately, to a potential audience of millions. Gaps in social moderation currently mean that many podcasting platforms continue to provide a safe haven for problematic ideologies. This is in sharp contrast to the efforts of other platforms including Twitter, Facebook and YouTube to clamp down on misinformation and fake news. It is all the more concerning when prestigious brands continue to offer a platform, and therefore credibility, to potentially dangerous content. This discussion examines the podcast eco-system and the many rabbit holes of misinformation that continue to exist for the propagation of conspiracy theories. It will focus in particular on how podcasts function as part of the wider social media campaigns of extreme political agents. It also examines the parallel rise of fact-checking and myth-busting podcasts from public service broadcasters and other media organisations, and their attempts to rid the audiosphere of misinformation.
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
2022 Special Focus—Democratic Disorder: Disinformation, the Media and Crisis in a Time of Change
KEYWORDS
PODCASTS, MISINFORMATION, INFLUENCERS, FAKE NEWS, SOCIAL MEDIA, DISINFORMATION, CONSPIRACY THEORIES
