The Future of Audio in Media: Social Conversation Platforms
Research: Jillian Lee Farrell
Originally published Oct 22, 2022
Launched in 2021, Clubhouse is the social audio app that has popularized audio as a form of social media. Its early — and fleeting — success led to copycats, such as Twitter Spaces, Facebook Live Audio Rooms and Spotify Greenroom. These platforms allow for live, real-time conversations among users with the opportunity for other users to listen in. Social conversation platforms grew quickly, yet they have plateaued, in part because of complications inherent to live audio conversational platforms. Although these conversations will have initial topics, they often veer off. This is not good for algorithms and makes it hard for discovery and recommendation systems, which are not suitable for the platform itself.
Newer apps, such as Pludo and Beams, let users upload unedited audio snippets with time constraints. Unlike many current popular audio apps, these are not meant for real-time conversations. Instead, the point is to share quick audio snippets. This evolution is strikingly similar to the shift from early blogs to Twitter. When blogging started, only those with coding knowledge were able to contribute. This lasted until platforms like MySpace and Tumblr came around, allowing for a more intuitive experience for nontechnical users. Eventually, Twitter came around, making it extremely easy to share and consume text media. Twitter users are essentially blogging, but its simplicity makes it so that users are not even thinking of themselves as “bloggers.”
Similarly, audio media started as podcasts, which only people with the proper equipment and software could participate in. Clubhouse (and similar apps) made this more accessible: people can use their mobile devices and do not need to worry about editing. Now, it seems that there is a move towards short-form, where the content is quick and easy, incentivizing the consumption and its contribution.
There are a few reasons for moving in this direction. First are technological improvements. The microphone quality embedded in people’s cell phones is at a caliber that can allow anyone to produce excellent quality audio. Additionally, speech-to-text has made huge improvements, allowing for more accessible ways to enjoy audio and for algorithms to pick up and recommend audio to different users.
Another reason for the shift to audio-only media is that people are searching for more authenticity on social media. While there is value and entertainment in a scripted and edited podcast, Gen-Z shows an earning for casual and quick — and thus, authentic — social media platforms. It is easier for consumption and contribution to make short-form audio sharing apps have a prominent future.
Entertainment
The Stem Player, a pocket-sized speaker launched by Kanye West, is the most prominent example that shows that audio-only may be enough. This device has no screen, and was designed with the goal of “feeling like an extension of your body.” This device allows users to download songs. They then can “customize any song” by having control over vocals, drums, bass, and samples.
The Stem Player has seen some commercial success, with more than $1.3 million in sales. It is essential, though, to also note its influence for being connected to Kanye West’s name and brand. It is important to remember that its success may not be that telling of user behavior because of Kanye. However, it may be a step in normalizing this way of consuming media.
News and information
Audio media can have a prominent future when it comes to spreading news and information. In March 2022, Apple announced that Apple News + subscribers will be able to listen to audio versions of news stories.
This concept is not new. Platforms such as Noa, Audm, and Curio have been doing this. Additionally, there are podcasts, such as The Daily by The New York Times, which are dedicated to sharing newsworthy events using audio. The Daily has over five million monthly unique listeners. While many people do turn to audio news, a 2021 study by Pew revealed that only 7% of Americans habitually rely on podcasts for news.
A study by Reuters Institute found that many people do not listen to podcasts due to their length. If short-term audio sharing platforms do begin to gain popularity, people may be more inclined to get their news and information from audio. However, the current state of audio media being primarily long-form is turning people away.
Positioning
Audio-only media may never replace other forms of media. However, there are aspects of audio-only that people seem to be craving and thus may have a prominent future in media.
Additional resources
- Nearly a quarter of Americans get news from podcasts | Pew Research Report
- The future of social networks might be audio | MIT Technology Review
- The next big social network trend? Shortform audio | The Verge
Compelling startups
Los Angeles, CA
Audio story-telling app with a 99-second time limit; a “Tweet-length podcast” app.
Kissimmee, FL
Workplace audio recording software that allows for asynchronous team meetings.
New York, NY
A platform for anonymous conversations between people working in the same industry or company to get advice, feel seen, ask questions, and get ahead in their careers.
