Medium 5 P essay

There are many different mediums to present arguments supported by both qualitative and quantitative information. However, there is no single medium that is objectively the best medium for all types of arguments and questions. One of the most well known, and possibly overused mediums, is writing, specifically in the form of an essay. Despite being similar is many critical ways, a narrated podcast was an overall better choice for my project. The differences of these two mediums is ultimately what made my choice: while the formally written essay is better at laying out large amounts of concrete information, it is substantially worse at conveying real emotion, and is less accessible to most people.

An essay has its biggest advantage in how it can contains large sets of both qualitative and quantitative information, and still be legible by a reader. The reason for this is that when reading an essay, the reader can go back in the document to find specific bits of information as well as reread anything is difficult to understand the first time around. When listening to a podcast, or some type of spoken medium like the radio, the listener often cannot physically re listen to what is being told to them. This is where writing is advantageous. The writer can include large amounts of information that might be confusing to hear live or spoken, without having to worry about whether or not the reader will be able to understand it the first time through.

While they certainly can be, Emotions are not transferred as well through paper. Readers cannot truly hear the author’s voice and tone when reading their works. In a podcast or listening to the radio, a listener can hear when the author/speaker is excited, nervous, confident, or whether or not they passionately care about something. It’s the ability to contain emotionally charged words regardless of what one is saying that makes this aspect so powerful. Spoken words appeal to pathos more because the author has an easier time showing the reader how both they feel themselves, as well as how they want the reader to feel.

Arguably the most important aspect of the spoken podcast or radio segment is its accessibility. For most readers, reading a deep, well written essay takes time and effort. However, as mentioned above, because of limits on the amount of data that can be conveyed effectively, narrated podcasts are easier to understand and don’t take as much work to extract concepts from. This makes it better for a general, or more casual audience. In reality, most people find themselves able to listen to the radio while performing other tasks because not only is it easier to understand, but you can listen to it while moving or looking elsewhere. This is why it lends itself to general newscasts, sports commentating, and storytelling. These types of spoken vehicles are general not densely packed with information when being told via radio or podcast.

When an author is deciding what medium to use, these pros and cons are what impacts their decision. Generally speaking, when an author is deciding between a written essay and a podcast, they need to weigh how much information they want to include versus how much they want to appeal to the audience’s emotions. For my project, the latter was more important.