Listening as Labour: About Podcast Listening Habits of Young Adults in Finland and Greece

Abstract

Due to significant changes in media environments, listening has become an important way of consuming media content, particularly among younger generations (under 30). Since the pandemic, these individuals have increasingly turned to curated audio media content. While the practice of listening as a means of engaging with media has been well examined by media research institutions, we contend that the study of listening still requires ethnographic perspectives to address the complex nature of digital environments. This chapter draws on data collected from Finland and Greece to highlight how listening is intertwined with intricate media landscapes. It explores how young people justify the podcast content they choose and the significance of news content in their decisions. The analysis is based on the concept developed by media scholar Kate Lacey, who argues that listening is an active practice and a form of labor. Lacey posits that listening is an engaged process of exercising citizenship through audio media, encompassing both cognitive and emotional dimensions. The information is derived from community research by the Finnish Broadcasting Company, along with interviews conducted in Greece during the spring and summer of 2024.