Research Podcast

 Hello and welcome back to my blog! 

As I get ready to create my own podcast within the next two weeks, I chose a podcast that discussed online communication to analyze and talk about here. It will be very useful to listen to how other audio-only podcasts are structured as I prepare mine.

A factor of online communication I think that we often forget about is body language. I was intrigued to listen to a podcast with Jessi Hempel and Erica Dhawan about digital body language and the major role it plays as well as its importance in online communication. In this podcast, Dhawan sums up digital body language as, "all the cues and signals we send in our digital communication" (Digital Body Language with Erica Dhawan, 2021). Digital body language can be the punctation we use, video backgrounds, the time it takes us to respond to messages and so much more. As we continue to communicate online, it is important to understand and learn how to read someone's digital body language. Throughout this podcast Dhawan discusses the four laws of digital body language. Valuing others visibly, communicating carefully, collaborate confidently and trust totally. If you want to watch a short video with Erica Dhawan about digital body language, click Here

I felt that this topic really connected to the content of our class because like the podcast stated, digital body language is a key factor when it comes to online communication. It is important to be aware of how we present ourselves in messages we send, on social media profiles, and even over the phone. There is a section in our course textbook Communicating Online, that states "listeners may well believe the body language rather than the words" (2024, p. 226). This quote refers to speech delivery but applies to online communication as well. Depending on tone, punctuation or emoji use, messages can be interpreted many different ways. An individual might see an emoji in a message and assume that it is sarcastic when it is not, or with certain punctuation use a message can falsely sound condescending. This podcast did a great job highlighting the importance of seemingly minor details in online communication. 

As always, thanks for listening!

Here is the link to the podcast I analyzed!