Radio In The Digital Age     

This chapter examines the ways in which the digital landscape can be understood, both from a technological perspective and from a cultural perspective. Both Media Ecology and Social Historical Action Theory will illuminate the phenomenon of digitalisation and the ways in which the relationships between people traditionally thought of as producers and consumers of content are transformed within that environment. Into that explanation about the digital environment – which includes, but is by no means limited to, the internet – the different aspects of radio introduced in chapter 1 are examined. The chapter looks at the transformative nature of “digital” and the affordances introduced to the medium by digital technology, while demythologising the concept and contextualising it within a wider societal shift that is neither particular to radio, nor significantly different for the medium than it is for any other human activity under the influence of digitalisation. The many-to-many conversational nature of digital media – incorporating the potential for ‘user-generated content’ and configurations of radio distribution that are not merely allocutionary – is explored and contrasted to the broadcast-only methods the radio medium is traditionally associated with. In addition, multiple shades of nuance in the relationship between broadcaster and audience are examined, challenging and examining the notion of interactivity in the online environment. Parallel chat rooms occupied by producers and listeners provide a side channel for a broadcast programming (for instance, that of BBC Radio 1’s Zane Lowe) and this steps the traditional broadcaster further from the phone- or write-in request or the texted comment towards the potential for genuine influence over the programme output. Similarly, Tom Robinson’s ‘Now Listening’ music radio show is all but programmed by the listeners, who contribute links and suggestions for music tracks to play, offer contextualising comment and interact live with the programme using social media platforms.