PARALINGUISTIC STRATEGIES IN AUDIO MEDIA (PODCASTS AND RADIO BROADCASTS) AND AUDIENCE TRUST

Abstract

The digital proliferation of audio media has rekindled interest in the influence of voice, sound, and other paralinguistic elements on audience trust. This article analyzes paralinguistic strategies in podcasts and radio broadcasts, focusing on their function in establishing credibility, intimacy, and authenticity within media discourse. The study, which looked at a few episodes of conversational podcasts and talk radio shows, found patterns in how intonation, tempo, pauses, laughter, breathing, and sound design are used over and over again. The results indicate that podcasts typically utilize informal, "imperfect" vocal performances and loosely organized soundscapes to convey authenticity and intimacy, whereas radio broadcasters emphasize regulated voice quality, precise intonation, and meticulously designed acoustic environments to convey professionalism and institutional credibility. In both formats, audience trust manifests not merely as a cognitive assessment but as a relational consequence of multimodal interaction, wherein verbal assertions are perpetually supported or challenged by paralinguistic signals. The piece contends that methodical focus on paralinguistics is vital for educating media practitioners and for fostering critical media literacy in an increasingly audio-oriented public domain.