Podcasts ~can~ be DH

I believe that a podcast can be part of the digital humanities (DH). My criteria for a podcast qualifying as DH depends on the content of the podcast itself and the ways in which a listener engages with such content. In our digital humanities class we’ve come to understand that slapping something non-digital online and calling it DH isn’t DH at all. It’s just making use of digital technology. What differentiates DH and simply utilizing digital technology is DH’s intentional exploration and simultaneous active interrogation of digital tools. Certain podcasts do precisely this work. It is DH when a podcast host/producer presents information that challenges oppressive systems and provides a space for silenced voices to speak freely. It is DH when listeners bring these ideas into their own space of personhood, thoughtfully absorb the words, and do something in response; whether that be starting a conversation with someone, volunteering, protesting, or even using the podcast as a space of refuge. 

Let me give you an example, hosts of the Morning Walk podcast Alex Elle and Libby DeLana in 20-minute conversations discuss the ways walks can be healing and grounding. While this topic might sound simple, it is deeply radical in its efforts to collectively work against the forces of capitalism, which seek to exploit and control our bodies and minds. In one particular episode, Alex and Libby offer breathwork practices to try as you walk. They teach us to slow down, soak up the fresh air, ground ourselves, and connect with our bodies – actions that feel so foreign to us. Because, if we were to ever slow down and feel the needs of our bodies and minds, then we might all stop participating in this grueling system. That’s why we’re not allowed to stop working, stop producing, and stop going. Ever. It’s too threatening to the system. And so, Alex and Libby’s conversations ask us to threaten, to combat capitalism and its coinciding, interlocking systems. And when I listen to their words, I actively practice the soothing breathwork alongside them. Even after the 20 minutes have ended, I’m still thinking about their words. On my own walks, during times of stress, overwhelm, overwork, or disconnection from my body, I’m practicing my box breathing. Or at the very least, I’m trying to remember what Alex and Libby said: I’m allowed to just be, outside all of my responsibilities. I’m enough. By engaging with the podcast’s content, even after listening to the episode, I am contributing to the podcast’s DH-ness. I am part of the ecosystem that extends the life and reach of their messages, ones that defy narratives that we are “supposed to” believe. What could happen if we all built and engaged with podcasts in this way?