We The Media: The Growth of UK Podcasting

Dan Gillmor, author of We the Media, director of the Center for Citizen Media wrote this BBC article. I responded below:

Blogging, podcasting and the growth of citizen-driven media is the first full flowering of the internet and the best application of the word "interactive" yet devised in my opinion. The most exciting aspect of this is the way that it allows individuals to add their uncensored voices to the mass media.

In April/May 2005 having blogged for a year I decided to podcast the UK elections 5/5/5 at five.org, using audio and video, focussing on local issues, interviewing the local candidates, talking with voters and political luminaries such as Robin Cook. As a result, I received this comment:

Thanks for making available these series of podcasts with the candidates in my constituency - much appreciated. I'm planning on listening to each one before casting my vote on Thursday. I've been away from Islington a lot recently so I've managed to avoid any direct canvassing from the candidates - and election flyers are not something I read. Hence your podcasts will probably be my primary tool for making the decision.

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Posted by Ollie to Five at 5/3/2005 10:59:53 PM

This made my month-long efforts worthwhile and convinced me of the social usefulness of the genre.

I agree that we are now seeing only the beginning of this great upsurge as people pick up the tools and use them. Increasing diversity of voices and views can only benefit communities.

The next phase will be very interesting indeed as podcasting differentiates itself from broadcasting and downloading - it is neither ! - and the self-organising of the UK podcast community so that heavy-handed, badly informed licensing doesn't hinder this important cultural development in will prove to be very important.