As the preparation for this podcast was my first ever attempts to creating an opinionated audio file, I faced various challenges and had to be strategic in order to be effective.
My podcast places an emphasis on how social media can provide opportunities for online activists to thrive online through gaining support and creating public awareness of social issues. I also briefly discuss risks that becoming an activist can lead to, as a result of the dangers of technology. The controversial opinion that online activism is not as effective as in person is also contended, through factual presentation of the positive effects online campaigns have had on real life social issues.
When creating my podcast, I wanted to highlight both the potentialities and risks associated with social media activism, but maintain a clear contention that online channels are beneficial and effective in driving change. I did this by constantly referring back to my belief and consistently highlighting facts to back it up.
I intentionally focused on events that are recent or popular in the media in order to engage my audience and provide a relatable basis for them to form their opinion against. Whilst being argumentative, I tried to be inclusive and open.
My podcast came as a result of much research, which I frequently referred to. I found using direct quotes from other media sources and academic journals made my appeal more credible, and in turn led to a significantly stronger argument. I also used a mix of newspaper articles, online webpages and scholarly sources to ensure that my podcast would be easy to understand and comprehend for all of my listeners. I did not want to complicate my audio with jargon or too many technical aspects that would disengage my audience, yet still wanted to sound professional and evidence based, whilst also sharing my own input.
I created the audio file entirely on my own through the use of my iPhone, voice recorder applications, and online editing tools. The only material within my podcast that was not mine was the use of music, which I credited as being sourced by Creative Commons, and hence is licensed to be reused online. I felt adding music and someone else’s art gave my podcast a unique edge and made it more engaging. I chose the music based on the tones and themes of my own podcast, which is serious, rather than choosing a more upbeat track.
I found editing my podcast to be the biggest challenge. Once I had developed my full script based on my research, it became a matter of cutting out sections to remain within time limits, which proved difficult for me as I felt all my material was relevant and beneficial. The act of learning how to use the online tools also led to a huge amount of frustration, as trimming my audio and aligning various voice materials was a tedious and demanding task. I was forced to be incredibly patient, watch tutorials online, and follow the basic instructions to ensure that I was meeting the allowed length and my voice flowed, despite the audios being recorded over a span of days. This task taught me a lot about how to create content online and actually gave me an incredible insight into the craft behind podcast and video creation.
Reference List
Abernethy P 2016, ‘The Ice Bucket Challenge Just Secured A Major Scientific Breakthrough,’ Global Citizen, accessed at: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/ice-bucket-challenge-als-mnd-money/
Al-Sharif M 2018, ‘The Dangers of Digital Activism,’ The New York Times, accessed at: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/16/opinion/politics/the-dangers-of-digital-activism.html
Cabrera N 2017, ‘Activism or Slacktivism? The Potential and Pitfalls of Social Media’,
Journal of Diversity in Higher Education, vol. 10, no. 4, pp. 400-15.
Hitchings-Hales J and Calderwood I 2017, ‘8 Massive Moments Hashtag Activism Really, Really Worked,’ Global Citizen, accessed at: https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/hashtag-activism-hashtag10-twitter-trends-dresslik/
McLean JE and Fuller S 2016, ‘Action with (out) activism: understanding digital climate change action’ International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy. Vol. 36 No. 9/10, pp. 578-595 DOI 10.1108
Nawrat A 2019, “Have you heard the Amazon is on fire? The power of social media in awareness raising,” The Verdict UK
Life.. One bite at a time. 