Sofas, kitchen tables and living rooms: why are we so invested in podcasts in informal settings?

If you are reading this, you probably love listening to podcasts and maybe even watch podcast recordings on YouTube. Perhaps, you are just wondering why people should want to listen to more podcasts? We know they are a seemingly new trend that has exponentially risen in popularity in the past few years, but why?

Well, that is the illusion [podcast hosts] create with their podcast settings: it seems like they are allowing you into a secret club, who are trusted to learn all these personal things from their own home

Why would you want to listen to strangers or celebrities chat and share gossip from their own lives? Topics often seem menial and unimportant compared to subjects discussed in interviews and on press tours. The answer is simple: the setting. Podcasts are often (not always) set in an informal, personal setting, such as a house, a dinner table, or somewhere familiar to the listeners. This makes for a relaxed and comfortable listening experience.

One of the reasons for this is our desire to form connections with these people. Say your favourite celebrity has opened up their home to you, set up a camera and a mic in the living room, and is telling you all of their best-kept secrets from their childhood. Sounds great, doesn’t it? Well, that is the illusion they create with their podcast settings: it seems like they are allowing you into a secret club, who are trusted to learn all these personal things from their own home. They allow us an insight into a casual chat between two friends, rather than an interview where the celebrity is completely detached from the listener. ‘Celebs’ play into this further naming their podcasts things like The Really Good Podcast, by Bobbi Althoff, or Twinhood, Maisie Peters’ new podcast, which she does with her twin sister Ellen, in, you guessed it, their living room. Both names suggest a down-to-earth tone which matches the informal setting, making them more appealing to listeners contrasting to the traditional relationships we have with the ‘celebrity’.

The connections seem stronger, the stories are more personal and listeners get an exciting new side to celebrities

The exclusivity these informal locations create has been mirrored in other media like NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, which place bands or singers in a more intimate location, making the viewing feel more personal. Ignoring that their YouTube videos have millions of views, audiences in person are minimal, meaning a viewer feels special whilst listening like it’s a concert just for them. With podcasts, it is the same. This can be seen through the rise of video podcasts, giving viewers a visual of the person they are listening to and showing them the informal location of the podcast. Sofas, coffee tables, and simple home interiors are a staple of this. It contrasts with the setting of more traditional interviews, award shows, and the glamour of magazines and Hollywood which seem to reinforce a separation between viewers and the celebrity they are watching. Listening to a podcast is a completely different experience. When we consume this media we are listening in our informal settings and so rather than being pushed further apart from these people, we can see the similarities between us and them. It humanises them, making them more relatable.

So, it makes sense that we would want to listen to a podcast in an informal setting. The connections seem stronger, the stories are more personal and listeners get an exciting new side to celebrities. Putting podcasts in places that most people are used to is incredibly helpful in getting people to watch them, as it normalises the speakers and makes their anecdotes seem more relatable, as well as creating a personal link between listener and celebrity.