Uafhængig podcasting i en tværmedial tidsalder

Independent podcasts make up a large part of the Danish, as well as global, podcast market. In
addition, the medium provides a voice and a cross-media community to those who do not feel heard or
represented in established media. Despite this, neither quantitative analyses of the many independent
podcasts nor qualitative studies of the independent podcasters’ production and distribution conditions
and their use of social media in small language areas such as Danish exist. Therefore, this dissertation
examines the form, content, production, distribution and social media presence of independent
Danish-language podcasts.

The dissertation understands independent podcasting as a structure that influences and is
influenced by the actions of a variety of actors. It applies two theoretical perspectives on independent
podcasting: an online network media perspective and a radio perspective. Independent podcasters are
perceived as producers driven by a participatory culture that creates niche, user-generated content from
an online network media perspective. However, the online network media perspective cannot stand
alone as podcasting has the invisible, speaking voice and the image-creating qualities in common with
the radio medium.

The dissertation sheds light on the difference between independent and institutional
podcasting based on these two perspectives. Independent podcasters represent themselves instead of
other institutions, and their podcast productions are characterised by editorial freedom and a
technologically low barrier to entry. These terms of production and distribution are expressed through
the specific aesthetic characteristics of independent podcasts, including intimacy, authenticity and a
sense of community across podcasters and listeners. Independence, however, is a fluid concept,
especially as podcasting becomes commercialised. More and more independent podcasters seek to
generate revenue, which will inevitably affect their autonomy

This article-based dissertation consists of four published English-language research
articles that combine semi-structured interviews with podcasters and qualitative analyses of podcast
episodes and interactions on social media with quantitative content analysis of podcast and social
media content.

Article I is a case study of the famous Danish podcast Fries Before Guys’ use of the social
media Instagram. The study shows that the intimacy and authenticity of independent podcasts are
supported by the podcasts’ correspondingly intimate and authentic utilisation of Instagram. This
creates emotional and commercial value for the podcasts.

Article II examines why four independent podcasts switched to the paid subscription
platform Podimo. The podcasters strive for revenue, visibility and creative freedom; yet only the already
popular podcasters receive considerable payment. Despite implementing various strategies to persuade
listeners to pay for the podcast content, all podcasters experience a significant drop in listener ratings.
Some podcasters retain their creative freedom, while others are required to deliver a certain amount of
content. All podcasts are staged as a ‘Podimo’ product and thus primarily represent the platform.

Article III examines the form and content of 552 Danish independent podcasts on the
open platform Apple Podcasts. Most of the podcasts consist of unstructured conversations and
interviews about personal development – often based on the podcasts' own lives – which underlines the
similarities between independent podcasts and online network media. Additionally, many of the
podcasts are concerned with mainstream hobbies such as movies, football and TV series. The fact that
the 552 podcasts are monotonous in form and content suggests that independent podcasting has
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become mainstream and commercial; inspired by commercial formats such as the ‘celebrity’
conversation podcast, more and more people are choosing to podcast with no prior experience in audio
production.

The fourth and final article demonstrates that women in Danish independent podcasts
mainly talk about mental health, personal development and family life. In contrast, men talk about
sports, business and hobby interests. On a quantitative level, this reveals a gendered podcast sphere.
However, a qualitative analysis of two podcast cases shows that women discuss mental health, personal
development and family life to challenge norms of what is talked about and how it is talked about. This
is made possible by the independent podcasting’s lack of visuals, editorial freedom and conversational
format. At the same time, the article shows that social media usage is essential to receive ideas, feedback
and knowledge from like-minded people to create norm-challenging podcast content.

While independent podcasts can still represent norm-challenging minority cultures, the
dissertation overall points to the fact that independent podcasts are becoming less niche, less auditory
experimental and, in terms of content, less controversial. Instead, they are becoming more mainstream,
commercialised and platform optimised in an attempt to gain visibility. At the same time, the
dissertation emphasises that the low barrier of entry and the editorial freedom create specific
motivations which are not commercial. Independent podcasters are motivated by cultivating their
hobby or passion, spreading a message, conversating with particular people, processing their feelings,
impacting like-minded people and being good company for the listeners. In addition, independent
podcasters are motivated by two-way communication with their listeners. This is achieved through
social media platforms, which compensate for the podcasting’s one-way communication and generate
crucial content and emotional support. Hence, the inherent characteristics of independent podcasts –
intimacy, authenticity and community – are reinforced by podcasters and listeners’ use of social media.