[superusermind]

The whole 'relationship with the listener' thing is nonsense. I don't have relationships with the podcasts I listen to. I don't have relationships with movie actors when I watch a film either. Like come on.

I want to be informed and entertained. If I'm not, I move on to another podcast.

[eddieroger]

The concept of "relationship with the listener" is older than podcasts, and stem from the radio days. It's absolutely a real thing. Early media studies found people liked the companionship of a radio announcer, and would sometimes have it on just to listen and feel like someone is there with them. This is exaggerated even more on podcasts where you get to control when and where you listen, making it even more personal, and in some cases, shows record live and you can dialog with the podcasters during. If getting an on-air reply to something isn't a relationship, I don't know what is.

You're probably thinking of relationship in the term of something like a parent or significant other. Of course you don't have that. The podcasters I listen to wouldn't know who I am from Adam, despite a few Twitter replies from them. But again, that's not what the term means, and it's a much older industry term.

[morsch]

I guess it depends on what relationship is supposed to mean. Clearly you aren't in a sexual relationship with a podcast. In an abstract sense, it's obviously true that any listener is going to have a listener-relationship with a podcast. But beyond the most abstract of senses I suppose it entails things like loyalty to a certain show.

But I don't think it's nonsense. Podcasting is -- not per se, but currently and for the most part -- a serial, subscription medium. The loyalty is currently built in, because like a newspaper or magazine, you subscribe to it and get it delivered -- often directly to your ears, without further interaction. Loyalties are much more fleeting for other kinds of online content delivery. (Some YouTube and streaming channels are an exception and the same is true for them. They're a very similar medium.)

Beyond mere loyalty, many podcasts I listen to feature recurring speakers, and are very focused on pure voice content, with no music, no audio clips, etc. You basically listen to the same people talk for hours. I also subscribe to a couple of radio news programs that don't do this to the same degree. At this point I'm very used to Marc Maron's entire way of speaking (on his podcast, obviously I can't know how he talks in real life). I hear more from him than I hear from my relatives who live at the other end of the country. This brings about a sort of faux-intimacy, for lack of a better word.

And now I ought to call my mom. :)

[icebraining]

I don't have relationships with movie actors when I watch a film either.

I do. One of them is actually my mother!

Not every film is an Hollywood blockbuster with millions of fans that prevent any kind of two-sided interaction; some of them are small indie productions where you can actually meet and talk to the cast members.

Likewise, not every podcast is This American Life - many of them just have a few dozen listeners and there's plenty of opportunity for interaction and even friendships.

[Adirael]

I guess that depends on the podcast. I feel like I have a relationship with the guys from Back to Work [1], they talk about a lot of personal stuff and I feel like I know them a little. I appreciate that a lot, it makes me trust them (and thus, I trust the products they advertise).

[superusermind]

Using the word "relationship" is a bit manipulative IMO. If it is a relationship, it's a conditional one-sided one.

[corobo]

It's one of those "it's almost technically correct" things to say. It's not necessarily a lie, but it is a parasocial relationship[1] rather than a normal one

[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parasocial_interaction

[Adirael]

I don't think it's manipulative, it does feel like a relationship, even if it is one-sided. The feeling is different from watching a TV show, it feels more personal, more real.

[saturdaysaint]

It's an artful exaggeration, but if you've ever listened to guys talk about their daily Howard Stern/Colin Cowherd/Joe Rogan habit, it sure sounds like they're talking about a buddy. You might see a famous movie actor in 60 minutes of screentime a year, none of which he's actually revealing himself. Even if you listen to half of the WTF podcasts, you're listening to at least 50 hours of Marc Maron, during which there is an expectation that he'll be authentic and actually offer his subjective view of things (there's an art to this too, of course) - listen to someone that much and I do think that part of the subconscious brain starts thinking of them as an actual acquaintance.

[jccalhoun]

I think it depends on what you mean by relationship. I've been listening to the same morning radio show for 20 years or so and I feel like I care about the hosts even though they don't know I exist.

On the other hand, many of the podcasts I listen to I am able to be in their chatroom when they record and can have an actual back and forth. I think they recognize my name so that is a real relationship even if it is a tenuous one.