1. Introduction: Podcasting and Podcasts—Parameters of a New Aural Culture

In this introductory chapter, the editors set out the technological, industrial and cultural contexts which have facilitated the emergence of podcasting and podcasts as a ‘new aural culture’. Drawing on their own experiences as podcast producers, listeners and theorists they explore the unique circumstances through which podcasting has evolved into a discreet form, despite existing in a simultaneously symbiotic relationship with a host of mediums. The introduction also sets out the parameters of podcast studies and introduces the book’s chapters as developments of the previous nascent research, while furthering avenues of enquiry reflective of podcasting’s increasingly influential status in the digital media landscape.