Social Issues in Chinese-Language PodcastsA Case Study of the Xiaoyuzhou App

With the recent resurgence and growth of Chinese-language podcasts, an increasing number of people are turning to the Xiaoyuzhou app to access Chinese-language podcasts as a media channel for understanding social hot topics and discussing public issues. This research examines Chinese-language podcasts on the Xiaoyuzhou app, employing autoethnography and semi-structured in-depth interviews as primary methodologies. By analyzing both podcast hosts and audience, it investigates how social issues are disseminated within the Chinese-language podcasting landscape. This research indicates that Chinese-language podcasts addressing social issues on the Xiaoyuzhou app do indeed possess the capacity to present in-depth content and complex thinking, whilst fostering a relatively rational interactive atmosphere that affords both hosts and audience a degree of security. Simultaneously, as a distinctive media format, Chinese-language podcasts can transcend the boundaries between the public and private spheres, thereby mitigating to some extent the phenomena of 'collective silence and 'news avoidance prevalent within the digital internet landscape. However, owing to the scale and strategic limitations of the Xiaoyuzhou app, coupled with the scarcity of high-quality podcasts dedicated to social issues, Chinese-language podcasts are improbable to emerge as the primary public forum for deliberating public affairs in the near future.