The effectiveness of radio podcasts in building cultural awareness among Saudi youth

Author

College of Media and Communication, Imam Mohammed bin Saud Islamic University, KSA

10.21608/jkom.2024.360789

Abstract

       The study turn around understanding the interaction of Saudi youth with podcast programs that offer cultural content addressing cultural issues within Saudi society. The aim  of the study is to assess the cognitive, emotional, and behavioral impact resulting from the consumption of specialized content through podcasts. The theoretical study were the uses and gratifications approach, and the sample study was drawn sample from Saudi youth aged between 18 to below 35 and the sample size was 400 individuals.
      The field study results indicates a significant interest in cultural application programs, with participants allocating specific daily hours and irregular consistent follow-ups. Cultural content takes preference among the podcast contents followed by 54.4% of the total sample. These application present issues, events, and cultural activities freely and transparently, which might not be available through traditional channels.
    Various forms of interaction with cultural content through podcast applications were identified, with expressing opinions through interactive icons such as likes, follows, and shares taking the lead, followed by expressing opinions through comments. The study participants expressed a desire to have their own audio production on the application to share their cultural content and were keen to interact with their audience.
    Motivations for following cultural content on podcast programs were varied, including habits of regularly listening due to the application's attractiveness and user-friendly features, entertainment purposes, and passing time. Additionally, motivations related to the quality of audio content were mentioned, emphasizing the diversity of cultural issues discussed in various fields. The ability to provide visual cultural content alongside audio content for a richer informational and visual experience was also highlighted. Moreover, motivations included using cultural audio content for dialogues, opening new avenues for discussion, and monitoring audience comments on podcast cultural content.
   The study found that cognitive effects had the highest occurrence among the sample as a result of following cultural content through cultural podcast programs, followed by behavioral effects and emotional effects. There were statistically significant correlations between the frequency of following cultural podcast programs and the motivations for following various cultural issues discussed in specialized podcast programs. Additionally, there were statistically significant correlations between the motivations for following various cultural issues in specialized podcast programs and the positive evaluation of the approach to presenting cultural information in podcasts. Furthermore, there were statistically significant correlations between the sample's trust in the cultural audio content presented by podcast programs and the realization of the effects achieved by following cultural information through podcast programs.

Keywords

References

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