Loosely defined, the tipping point of any new technology is when the technology starts to appear in mainstrean use. MP3 players became mainstream when people started wearing them to work and on the bus. Blogging became mainstream when huge companies like AOL and the New York Times bought out some blog networks to run themselves. The Irish Times seems to think that podcasting has reached the tipping point.
WHEN you hear senior broadcasters nervously telling listeners that their show is now also available as a podcast, you realise that a tipping point has been reached. What was once a niche area and solely the preserve of the online community has now firmly become a mainstream media activity.
I see the point, but I'd argue that podcasting is 'firmly' in mainstream media. I can virtually guarantee that if I went outside right now, walked down the street and asked everyone I saw what a podcast was, probably nobody would know. A small percentage of them might have heard the word, but I can be pretty much be assured that most people have no idea what a podcast is.
Yes, the mainstream media outlets are coming onboard and arguably producing the most popular podcasts thus far, but that doesn't mean that podcasting is anywhere near mainstream.
