Marshall McLuhan once wrote: “The medium is the message.” But what exactly did he mean by that? Well, simply put, while content may be delivered in many forms, the medium through which it’s consumed shapes how that content is received. Take storytelling, for instance: you can read a story, watch it play out on a screen, or listen to it. Each medium subtly transforms—or massages—the message it conveys.

Interestingly, McLuhan’s book was originally titled The Medium is the Message, but a typo slipped in, changing it to The Medium is the Massage. Rather than correcting it, McLuhan embraced the mistake. He found it not only amusing, but also strikingly accurate.

Just as the font or color of this text can influence its readability, we believe the same can be said of audio. In that sense, the medium can almost be considered an undercurrent, subtly guiding the words that flow above it. When the tone of voice matches the content of a story, it becomes easier to process the information. More importantly, it aligns more closely with the author’s intention and the emotion the message is meant to convey.

In the context of audio, the medium is obviously podcasts. The podcasting paradigm has made it easier than ever to publish content in a more decentralized manner. Thanks to open standards like RSS, creators can broadcast their shows to virtually any platform, while listeners are free to tune in from any player — all at no cost. This level of accessibility holds tremendous value when it comes to freedom of speech.

Meanwhile, recent advances in AI have proven to support freedom of expression — not only by enhancing our writing skills, but also by enabling realistically narrated stories. These high-quality synthetic voices often sound indistinguishable from real human speech. And just recently, OpenAI announced even more advanced capabilities of its text-to-speech model, at a significantly lower price. This changes everything.

At the same time, we’re witnessing the rise of augmented reality headsets and smart glasses, designed to enhance the way we interact with both applications and content itself. This trend shows no sign of slowing down. With built-in headphones, they allow for effortless listening during everyday tasks and enable hands-free interaction—making them a natural fit for consuming audio content.

Finally, we should not underestimate the power of people, with their wide range of ideas, opinions and experiences. Greater diversity brings forth new perspectives and unexpected combinations that eventually improve our lives. That's why we fully embrace the broad spectrum of topics people may choose to express themselves in — whether popular or not — as long as they remain within the bounds of the law.

We want to bring your stories to life—and we believe narrated content, combined with the power of podcasts, may just be an effective way to do so at scale.