In the modern digital world, it seems as though humanities work relies more than ever on digital platforms to create engagement and generate interest from the public. One of the medium which some humanists have chosen to achieve this goal is through podcasts; a form of entertainment that has never been more popular than it is currently. While there are many many benefits that come with historical themed podcasts, there are also numerous drawbacks which humanists should be aware of before embarking on their own projects. Podcasts can allow for a more conversational and intimate feel than a research paper would, however aspects like primary source implementation are harder to achieve than with traditional methods. Additionally, elements like music scores and voice actors can add to the atmosphere of a humanities podcast, but we should also remain cautious about over-sensationalizing certain topics, especially those which can evoke strong emotional reactions from listeners like race and slavery.
Podcasting may be a new addition to the world of Digital Public Humanists, however they share many elements with other digital tools such as crowdsourcing for instance. Crowdsourcing, like podcasting, inherently requires the participation of not just other academics or scholars, but the general public which entails creating a level of intrigue and excitement that is ultimately unnecessary for scholarly texts or papers. The same issues that crowdsourcing projects encounter such as retaining public engagement also apply to podcasting, however both of these approaches are also a good representation of the “democratization of history”. I believe that podcasts are a natural addition to the arsenal of tools for humanists because they reflect digital public humanities goals of reaching a wider audience while allowing for the free flow of discussion which can lead to new inquiries and discoveries.
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