As an emerging form of audio content, podcasts are becoming a new choice for people to obtain information and self-improvement. Data shows that by the end of 2024, the number of Chinese podcast listeners has exceeded 150 million, a year-on-year increase of 43.6%, ranking first in the world in terms of growth rate. Since its inception in 2004, podcasts have undergone over 20 years of development. At first, podcasts only referred to an audio network service, and compared to traditional broadcasting, its biggest feature was that it was provided by networks and automatic subscription systems. At present, podcasts have become a media form that covers a wider range, such as voice live streaming and platforms, UGC (user generated content) audio, knowledge paid listening, etc., and present the overall characteristics of a wider range of users, more diverse content, more accurate delivery, and more timely interaction. It has become an important style for the vigorous development of new popular literature and art. The development of Chinese podcasts can be roughly divided into three stages: in 2004, "Sugar Garlic Radio" emerged as the first Chinese podcast. At that time, there was no professional online audio platform, so it could only be called "web podcast". Initially, "Sugar Garlic Radio" was just a personalized podcast for online music and communication. As the number of listeners increased, "Sugar Garlic Radio" gradually became an online audio platform. After 2011, diversified podcast programs such as "Sugar Garlic Women's Talk Show" and "Sugar Garlic Night Talk Reading" entered the public eye. Subsequently, professional podcast platforms such as Podcast Encyclopedia, China Podcast Network, and Tudou Network emerged one after another. During this period, Chinese podcasts were in their infancy, with relatively limited content and a relatively fixed audience, still in a niche state. Chinese podcasts experienced significant growth around 2010, and the development of online audio platforms provided a growth greenhouse for Chinese podcasts. At the end of 2009, Douban FM was officially launched. Although Douban FM also focuses on online music listening, it can already use data algorithms to recommend music to users. In 2013, a membership system was launched, allowing users to obtain higher quality and clarity music through payment. Afterwards, "Dragonfly FM" in 2011 and Himalaya Company established in 2012 were important platforms for the development of Chinese podcasts. Dragonfly FM was originally an aggregation platform for radio stations, which included over 4000 radio stations from countries, cities, and even campuses. Its biggest feature at this time was the 24-hour playback function, allowing users to break free from listening time restrictions. In 2015, Dragonfly FM began to expand its diversified podcast programs, from traditional radio and television hosts to celebrities, scholars, and self media professionals from various industries who joined and released audio programs, especially in the field of audio novels, which were extremely rich. At present, the development of podcasts is in its third stage, mainly characterized by a large number of podcast platforms, columns, and listeners. The most representative podcast platform is Xiao Universe, which was launched in 2020. Unlike other platforms that mix podcasts with audiobooks, music, etc., Xiao Universe only focuses on podcast programs, aiming for immersive and deep companionship. With 15 million users and 2.5 million daily active users, Xiao Universe has become synonymous with Chinese podcasts. Different types of podcasts can meet personalized needs, such as financial programs like "Voice Action Morning Coffee", growth programs like "Unknown", and literary programs like "Limited Culture", which are representative programs of different types. At present, both the number of podcast programs and the number of listeners have reached an unprecedented scale. The reason why podcasts can quickly become popular in a short period of time is primarily due to their convenience. When podcasts break away from computers and web pages and become mobile applications in line with the trend of self media, the convenience of listening at any time becomes more prominent. It liberates users' eyes and hands, allowing people to listen in parallel in various scenarios such as commuting, housework, and sports, seamlessly embedding into daily life and becoming a "companion media" that can even accompany us all day long. Most listeners have developed the habit of sleeping with podcasts. At the same time, the collection of information and the use of big data make podcast delivery more precise. Podcasts or platforms can conduct similar push notifications based on each listener's listening type and duration, truly achieving "on-demand allocation". Based on this, it is easier for broadcasters and listeners, or different listeners of the same type of broadcaster, to form communication bonds and communities. Both online communication and offline sharing demonstrate the social attributes of podcasts as an emerging medium. Secondly, users have a demand for the "realism" of podcasts. Unlike carefully designed and edited short videos, podcasts have more improvisational elements, just like a stage play. Some expression errors can not only increase realism, but also become highlights. The intimate communication between the mouth and ears can also establish a sense of trust between the anchor and the audience, which is difficult for most short video AI dubbing to achieve. Scholar Zhang Li once observed that whispering comments when telling others' stories can create a sense of intimacy among those around them, introducing a sense of community. Audio reading is more invasive than visual reading. Finally, in today's world of visual information overload and massive attention consumption, prolonged immersion in 3-5 minutes of information bombardment can lead to fatigue and emptiness. The "eye satisfaction" experience cannot meet users' needs for depth, continuity, and thinking. The content of the first episode of a podcast is usually about an hour long, becoming an important way to experience "anti fragmentation". The mental and knowledge anxiety caused by information bombardment can also be healed to some extent in podcasts. Sociologist Xiang Biao once pointed out that there is a phenomenon of "disappearance nearby" in modern society, that is, often feeling lonely in a sea of people. The charm of podcasts may lie in using the medium of sound to restore and construct a 'concrete' for us. The hosts often share concrete and subtle life experiences, personal thoughts, and even expressions and companionship that can resonate with urbanites, which itself is a reconstruction of the voice of the "nearby". The "voice socialization" and "whispering dissemination" centered on podcasts have revived traditional oral narratives and promoted them to deeper and wider online platforms and virtual spaces, reconstructing a set of ways of producing, disseminating, and even consuming sound, achieving the organic unity of "mass dissemination" and "personalized needs" of sound. In the future, how to overcome challenges such as content homogenization, insufficient optimization of podcast platform ecology, and excessive entertainment in sustainable development will be the key to determining whether Chinese podcasts can move from "rich voice" to "profound voice". (New Society)