Audiovisual media consumption of the digital generation: The trend towards deep listening in the pandemic

Abstract

"The article presents the results of a study of the consumption of audiovisual content on the Internet, in particular vodcasts in the Russian-speaking part of YouTube, by representatives of the Russian digital generation. Today, YouTube controls almost a third of the internet traffic in the world. More than 65% of viewers say they experience YouTube content as real life. For two COVID-19 years, we have seen a continued increase in interest in podcasting in Russia. YouTube media bloggers started making podcasts, but not just audio podcasts, but so-called vodcasts, that is, video bloggers audiovisually broadcast the process of recording a podcast on YouTube. There are several possible reasons for this trend: Joe Rogan's impressive popularity, the desire to try oneself in a new format, a tribute to fashion, the audience's request for longer and deeper content, etc. Based on the analysis of media preferences of the control group of representatives of the ""digital tribe"", an attempt was made to explore the content strategies of 59 Russian-language vodcasts on the site of the Russian-language YouTube, as well as their social media. The material of the study allows determining one of the vectors for the development of digital audiovisual content for deep and long listening during the pandemic. Comparative analysis was carried out on 23 audience, content, economic and other indicators. Based on the results of the study, it is possible to single out the audience's request for long pseudo-deep content, as opposed to super-short audiovisual forms (TikTok, Reels on Instagram, Watch on Facebook, etc.). In vodcasting, most bloggers only take the fashionable name ""podcast"", just some associative idea of the form, for their shows and interviews, thus trying to create an atmosphere of a confidential, unhurried, ""intimate"" and deep conversation, which is mainly inherent in radio or auditory communication methods."