The accelerated ICT (information and communication technologies) revolution, which began in the 1990s with the invention of the Internet aka worldwide web, has connected the entire world. Currently people — especially youth — are connected in real time with peers around the world through social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Linkedin. But within a decade of these social media platforms becoming popular, Generation Z — teens born in the new millennium — are taking to podcasts, another online medium, in a big way. Defined as digital audio files that can be downloaded from the Internet onto personal digital devices, podcasts, which eliminate eye-straining screen time, are experiencing fast growth and popularity. According to podcastinsights.com, a humongous 43 million podcast episodes are available currently on the worldwide web (cf. 30 million in 2019) generated by a new genre of podcasters. And the US-based Edison Research reports that the number of people tuning in to podcasts is growing rapidly with an estimated 100 million people in the United States hearing at least one podcast per month. India is not far behind. With 57.6 million individuals downloading podcast episodes every month, it is the third-largest podcasts market in the world after China and the US. This new tech communication medium is hugely attracting Gen Z. A recent report by Spotify, the Stockholm-based audio streaming and media services provider which recently signed a $25 million deal with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to host and produce podcasts for it, says that 45 percent of Indian millennials and Gen Z regularly tuned in to at least five podcast series in 2020, the pandemic year. Indeed, the Covid-19 pandemic induced lockdown and related social distancing restrictions prompted a multiplying number of adolescents to turn to podcasts to speak their minds and hearts out on a number of issues including the new normal of online schooling, lockdowns and social distancing. In our cover story this month we focus a spotlight on the podcast revolution that is inspiring Gen Z. Experts interviewed are unanimous that podcasting is a positive activity for adolescents, parents and indeed, all age groups. The growing online library of podcasts offers content on a mind-boggling range of subjects for entertainment, self-improvement and knowledge accumulation. They advise parents to encourage adolescents and young adults to become podcasters to improve their creativity, communication, research, interview and articulation skills. There’s much else in this first summer issue of ParentsWorld. Check out Academic Advantage featuring a specially curated reading list for children between 6-12 years by Usha Mukunda, a highly-respected champion of open libraries for children. In our Middle Years story there’s a timely guide on five steps parents need to take to ease children’s return to post-pandemic in-school classes.
