Can Listening To Podcasts Provide Social Fulfillment?
Huff PostF.J. Jimenez via Getty Images Podcasts provide a source of entertainment, education and introspection to accompany us as we commute to work, clean our homes or engage in other mundane tasks. “Listening to a compelling podcast can absolutely provide a form of social fulfillment,” said Meg Gitlin, a New York City-based psychotherapist. “It may feel as if you were listening to your friends talking to each other.” A study published in 2022 concluded that podcasts can provide educational and social fulfillment, helping people satisfy that deep human need for connection with others. The podcasters may care about the issues and how they impact people’s lives, but there is no real relationship with the listeners themselves.” Instead, many listeners form parasocial relationships with their favorite podcast hosts. “I don’t see any downsides to turning to podcasts for social fulfillment as long as people can see the difference between this and a real mutual relationship,” Gitlin said.
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