Read my medium analysis based off of the SFU hosted podcast, Below the Radar.
Photo via Below the Radar
What is the context in which this piece was created? Think not just about the historical moment, but also about the people who made it, what motivated them, where they accessed funding/support, what political goals lay behind its creation, etc.
The medium I am looking at is the podcast Below the Radar, hosted by SFU Vancity's Office of Community Engagement as part of their Knowledge Democracy Project that encourages meaningful exchange of ideas and information across communities. Hosted and produced by numerous people, the podcast invites featured guests into conversations about environmental and social justice, arts, culture, community-building and urban issues. The particular episode that I looked at is titled "Restorying the Climate Crisis" which features Grace Nosek. Grace is a lawyer, climate storyteller, and founder of the UBC Climate Hub and joins the hosts, Am Johal, as they uncover narratives of "climate doom" and "individual responsibility" promoted by the fossil fuel industry. In this episode, they discuss several topics ranging from companies like Exxon Mobil spinning the narrative web, the integral role of Indigenous and racialized communities, overcoming eco-anxieties, and her belief in Pleasure Activism. The platform I used to listen to this episode is Soundcloud which I feel is a really great platform especially for its accessibility and user-friendliness. Overall, this podcast aims to amplify voices, ideas, and issues that often fly "below the radar" and allow easy access to people wanting to listen.
What kind of social change is this piece arguing for or contributing to? How does it go about articulating that need for social change? Is it a direct statement, or implicit?
The social change that this particular episode is contributing to climate crisis. Grace talks about feelings of "climate doom" and individual responsibility" as narratives propelled by the fossil fuel industry. She explains that big companies often push for a narrative that puts the responsibility of caring for the environment and climate crisis only at each individual person's hands rather than also highlighting the larger impacts that the companies themselves are negatively contributing. She also speaks about overcoming eco-anxieties such as toxic masculinity prohibiting individuals (in this case, some men) to be active in pursuing advocacy for climate change because of the nuances that society has constructed about gender. She directly tackles several issues and narratives that have created a sort of ecological pessimism that promotes a "no hope" message to future generations. And she encourages listeners through the episode to combat against it through pleasure activism and with the importance of small day-to-day differences that can cause a ripple.
Why was this piece created in this medium? How does it take advantage of the specific characteristics of this medium?
Podcasts are one of the best outlets for social justice topics and conversations that aren't often included in the mainstream channels. Podcasts have become a sort of alternative or counter-public sphere for people who are passionate about topics that may not be part of the hegemony or may have only been addressed from a white-dominant perspective. This piece was created here to have easily distributed conversations for people and activists like Grace to share their ideas on the climate crisis and other environmental topics. I enjoyed the fact that I was able to learn about topics surrounding the climate crisis that I would never learn from a Fox news video. I also think that this medium is a great way to discuss the intersectionality of issues and topics (coined by Kimberley Crenshaw) that is often referred to within issues surrounding misrepresented and marginalized communities.
Identify one interesting feature of how this piece of media was published that you could draw on or be inspired by in your own future creations.
I personally loved how engaging the podcast was. The host does such a good job welcoming the guest and making them feel comfortable to share their stories and opinions. It was also great to have credible people like Grace share their insights and expertise. As someone who is just beginning to engage with environmental topics, I appreciated the thoughtfulness and clarity she provided in her answers. It seems as if the podcast host and creators are genuinely passionate about their goals and care about their audience.
Do you think this publishing medium is appropriate to the social change goals of the creator? Why or why not?
Yes, I very much believe that the publishing medium of a podcast was appropriate to the social change goals of the creator. There's nothing more engaging than an insightful conversation and they did just that! Podcasts foster this aspect of sharing, learning, and owning your voice, both in a figurative and literal sense, that allows anyone to share their ideas and stories to an audience without judgment. I never realized how niche podcasts were and how they can hold such enriching topics catered to, well, anyone!. As someone who doesn't listen to podcasts as often, this lesson has definitely intrigued into wanting to listen more (and possibly even create my own).
Great work! Here's my one nit I'm going to pick: podcasts are low barrier to access, and they allow almost anyone to share their voice and perspective, but not without judgment! They're still a public medium, which means that when you make a podcast, you're putting it out there for anyone to find. Even if you have a particular audience in mind you're trying to speak to, strangers might stumble across it. Nit-picky, I know, but also something to keep in mind when thinking about how this publishing medium works!