Podcast as a new phenomenon of educational communication: general analysis of content, form and addressee factors

Statement of the problem. The article examines the formation of the content of educational podcasts of Russian universities in comparison with popular blogger podcasts. The formats, presentation of material and audience involvement of the projects are analyzed, and the reasons for the limited popularity of educational podcasts and the advantages of blogging initiatives are identified. The purpose of the article is to identify the specifics of content formation, taking into account the peculiarities of perception of educational podcasts by young people. The authors reviewed the scientific literature on the areas of podcasting research in Russia: development and classification of podcasts, communication strategies of podcasts, the specifics of the podcast as a new format of public communication and form of content presentation in the digital media environment, the formation of their genre system, the use of the podcast as an educational technology. Research methods. This work involves comparative analysis, the method of factor analysis of podcast as a speech genre. As a result of the study, the conclusions were obtained that educational podcasts have high quality content and an academic focus, but are inferior to blogger projects in terms of mass involvement, since the academic style and limited distribution hinder their popularity, while the charisma of the hosts and adaptation to the interests of the audience are the main factors in the success of blogger initiatives. Conclusions. The prospects for the development of educational podcasts are related to their ability to integrate into the digital culture of young people. Further implementation of multimedia formats, increased interaction with listeners and the use of the experience of blogging projects can make university podcasts not only a teaching tool, but also a means of popularizing science among a wide audience.