Pushing Censorship Boundaries: Exploring Egyptian Podcasts as an Alternative Medium Challenging Social Taboos in Egypt

Abstract

Podcasting is becoming an alternative medium used by many streamers and podcasters to discuss a myriad of issues, causes, and topics while avoiding the limitations of public media censorship. Using the Uses and Gratifications theory, this research hypothesizes a correlation between limited censorship on podcasts in Egypt and the recent rise in the community of Egyptian podcast listeners among youth aged eighteen to twenty-four, especially considering that listeners are being introduced to topics that are labeled as taboos on social, political, and sexual levels. Nine research questions were posed to explore the nature of the medium, including how it is perceived by Egyptian listeners solely and in relation to radio, preferred podcasts and their genres, topics discussed, format, and length of the podcast, among others. The study adopted a qualitative methodology and relied on in-depth interviews to address the questions under investigation. Two students from Misr International University, aged between 18 and 24, comprised the purposive sample of avid podcast listeners – one male and one female. The study found that the two students were introduced to podcasts either through a friend or via YouTube. Apple podcasts were seen as the platform with the widest array of options, and Anghami, Spotify, and Podeo joined the list of platforms offering programmed podcasts. The study concludes that podcasts are praised for their mobility, ease of use, and ability to be consumed while doing other chores. Nevertheless, they were found to be lacking the immersive experience offered by films and the consistency in terms of production.