Augmented Podcasting: Expanding Audio On-Demand Participatory Culture

Abstract

The contribution proposes to explore, starting from the concepts of augmented reading, media convergence and interactive storytelling, some possibilities that may interest the audio-on-demand sector, through the tool of the ‘augmented podcast’, understood as a medium to overcome information dispersion and as a new resource for the cultural and entertainment world.
The work dwells on the concepts of augmented reading, transmedia storytelling and interactive storytelling, indispensable premises for grasping its essence. This is followed by the actual modes of innovation to be applied, examining layered storytelling, Augmented Reality (AR), interactivity. In conclusion, a reflection is proposed on the potential of the “augmented podcast” in its various forms as a central element in contexts that go beyond entertainment, such as education, science dissemination and professional training.