(Non)radio Drama from the Perspective of Ergodicity and Recipience

Abstract

Click to increase image sizeClick to decrease image size Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.Notes1. “Binaural recordings are made using an ‘artificial head’ – microphones of very small size are placed in the auricles of a mock-up human head. Such recording allows the reproduction of human hearing with all its due spatial orientations. This offers precise localization of sound sources (front, back, top, bottom, right, left). Footsteps on an asphalt surface, a muddy yard or a snowy road sound different. The nuanced nature of the registration in this system makes it possible to specify a host of information that, for a sophisticated listener, can become crucial when analyzing a piece” (Łastowiecki, Citation2014, p. 71). On binaural technology see also: Kostek and Hoppe (Citation2017), pp. 103–113.2. It is worth mentioning the publication of Raymond Murray Schafer in this context, “The Soundscape: Our Sonic Environment and the Tuning of the World” (1977), in which the author extensively describes the audio environment of humans and the role of audio in comparison to visual spaces in human life.3. Why are Podcasts so Popular in 2021? (2021). https://brandastic.com/blog/why-are-podcasts-so-popular/4. Żydek-Bednarczuk (Citation2012, pp. 167–177) writes about hypertext research in the following way: “Hypertext opens up a new perspective on discussions of the theoretical foundations of the study of this phenomenon. Obviously, new media do not allow for analysis in terms of the autonomy of a discipline. Interdisciplinary research is also insufficient. Today, research requires a transdisciplinary approach, which implies syncretism.”5. The choice of the indicated audio plays in two languages was motivated by three main factors: first, the number of Polish-language interactive radio dramas is significantly limited, since interactive speakers such as Google Home and Amazon’s Alexa “do not speak” Polish, and an analysis of only Polish-language productions would be too limiting to conduct research and draw diligent conclusions; second, by compiling audio plays available for smart speakers, apps and web browsers, a broader and comparative spectrum of analysis is possible; and third, including both languages in the study provides an opportunity to reach a wider audience – those who speak only Polish, English or both.6. On Mr. Robot. Daily Five/Nine and Westworld: The Maze, see. Matusiak (Citation2019), pp. 9–22.7. The radio play Alicja 0700 is available at http://www.alicja.sos.pl/, [22.06.22].8. It is also worth referring to the theory of convergence culture, as discussed by Henry Jenkins. For more information, see Jenkins, H. (Citation2006). Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide. NYU Press.9. The question comes from the radio play The Inspection Chamber.10. Ibidem.11. The question comes from the radio play Westworld: The Maze.12. The question comes from the radio play Alicja 0700.13. The question comes from the radio play Mr. Robot. Daily Five/Nine.14. I am aware that the number of respondents who took part in the study is not large. However, this is due to the specifics of the material studied and the tools required to conduct the research. Listening to each of the interactive audio plays, depending on the choices made by the listener, can last from a dozen to even several dozen minutes. In addition, for the reception of interactive stories produced for interactive speakers, it is necessary to provide students with the speakers and allow each respondent the opportunity to use the tool. This, in turn, extends the duration of the study (it took three to four hours each time). However, dedicating a longer period of time to listening to the analyzed interactive radio plays allows the listeners to focus, explore and immerse themselves in the story, which enables them a chance to carefully and attentively answer the questionnaire. Thus, the conclusions of the research should be authoritative and reliable. The listeners listened to selected audio stories in the rooms designed for studying radio genres – radio studios and classrooms.15. They were students of: Journalism and Social Communication, Media Production, Cultural Studies and Photography, from: Maria Curie-Skłodowska University in Lublin, the Catholic University of Lublin, the University of Gdańsk, the University of Warmia and Mazury, the University of Łódź, and the Łódź Film School. The students were from the first level of study - the third year of undergraduate studies, and from the second level - master’s studies. The universities were chosen on the basis of the level of development of research on radio at studies related to journalism and social communication. Third-, fourth- and fifth-year students participated in the survey, because the competencies acquired in the course of education made it possible to carry out the experiment as reliably as possible (for example, recognizing the differences between a radio play and an interactive audio play). The experiment was conducted between April and June 2022.16. Graphic elements are, in the case of the Alicja 0700, the look of the web browser interface and the graphics of a minimalist old phone with a keyboard; in Od A do Zet, the browser interface and the square gray buttons for selecting options for further listening; A Blind Legend – the black screen of the phone with silver streaks that appear when the protagonist uses a sword.Additional informationNotes on contributorsEliza MatusiakEliza Matusiak PhD, At the center of her research interests is audial art – its documentary, but above all fictional side. Her doctoral dissertation is devoted to interactive radio plays of an ergodic nature. She is the co-author of the monographs: “The sound of the Holocaust. On representations of the Shoah in a radio art” and “»No Longer a Kike, but a Survivor«. Women in the Holocaust from the perspective of radio artistic narratives”.