Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety

Mu Yang

doi:10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252734.20261004

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Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety

Volume 10, Issue 4

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Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety
Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety
University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Networks and New Media, Beijing, 102400, China
Vol. 10, Issue 4, Pages: 174-179(2026)
Published：30 August 2026
DOI：10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252734.20261004
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Mu Yang.Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety[J].Creativity and Innovation,2026,10(04):174-179.
DOI：

Mu Yang.Auditory Compensation through Oral Communication: Podcast Use among Young Adults in the Context of Digital Anxiety[J].Creativity and Innovation,2026,10(04):174-179. DOI： 10.47297/wspciWSP2516-252734.20261004.

摘要

Abstract

Visual platforms can produce digital anxiety through information overload

scrolling fatigue

social comparison

fear of missing out

and perceived time waste. This mixed-methods study examines how podcast listeners aged 18-35 use audio after visual-media pressure. Of 110 questionnaires

100 valid responses were analyzed alongside six interviews and platform cases. Digital anxiety (M = 4.263

alpha = 0.798) was unrelated to visual-media duration (Spearman's rho = -0.027) but positively associated with auditory compensation (M = 4.173

alpha = 0.832; rho = 0.667). Interviews identified emotional buffering

cognitive supplementation

and ambient accompaniment. Podcasts offer a slower

low-visual-demand

low-social-pressure mode of engagement through screen reduction

contextual accompaniment

sonic presence

and relational trust. These benefits are conditional and provide temporary media regulation rather than solutions to structural sources of anxiety.

关键词

Keywords

references

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