The fans run the show

NY Times – The fans run the show

Listeners may press play for the content, but many of them eventually come to nurture something like a one-way friendship with the hosts.

parasocial relationship — a term coined in 1956 to describe the connection between television viewers and a new class of entertainment personalities,

Podcasts allow us to get to know someone else without all the stress of making ourselves known.

You have to remember that there’s no fourth wall. When you’re talking to someone, you’re whispering in their ear. You’re in the shower with them. You’re on their commute to work.’’

podcasts are the second- largest category on the site, and the fastest- growing. In the past three years, the number of Patreon pages for podcasts has quadrupled,

online forums that transform isolated passive listeners into active participants.