Podcasts: substitutes for communication and associative deficiencies?

"Podcast" is a portmanteau of "iPod" and "broadcast".[8][9][10] The earliest use of "podcasting" was traced to The Guardian columnist and BBC journalist Ben Hammersley, who coined it in early February 2004 while writing an article for The Guardian newspaper.[11][12] The term was first used in the audioblogging community in September 2004, when Danny Gregoire introduced it in a message to the iPodder-dev mailing list,[13][14] from where it was adopted by podcaster Adam Curry.[15] Despite the etymology, the content can be accessed using any computer or similar device that can play media files. The term "podcast" predates Apple's addition of podcasting features to the iPod and the iTunes software.[16] Source: Wikipedia

While podcasts originated in radio broadcasting, as of this writing, the dissemination of these content files on a wide variety of topics has shifted to social media, subscriber communities, and audiovisual consumers. YouTube is the most preferred program by creators, with programs in which two or more people ramble on a wide variety of topics. Some, if not most, even offer presentations in theaters or on stages specially designed for this purpose, attracting a large following.

I decided to write about this form of communication because I was surprised by the enjoyment my children felt for such productions—young people who already smell like they're in their thirties. At first, I thought it was a trend spread by word of mouth; but then I said to myself: this must be due to something more psychological, something emotional, or a lack of communication.

Seeing oneself reflected on a screen has always been a fascination for human beings, and theater and film have demonstrated this over the years. People paid an admission fee to enjoy seeing themselves in the mirror of these manifestations of sociocultural expression. The same thing happened with the advent of television, which went even further by making its way into the living room of homes; it was no longer necessary to incur a monetary outlay or leave the house.

I can believe I've come to an understanding of why podcasts are so popular: young people who are within the most intense parameters of an economically productive life, having less time to spend with their peers, successfully manage to catch up on the elements that emerge in everyday life, as well as on fashions and trends in various aspects of daily life or those closest to reality. In this way, I believe that podcasts constitute a necessity within these social groups, as they become substitutes for significant communicative and associative deficiencies within this globalized and somewhat dehumanized world.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

 

Max Weber: The Protestant Ethic and the "Spirit" of Capitalism. (Review)

 

Max (Karl Emil Maximilian), was born in Erfurt on April 21, 1864, Germany and died in Munich, Germany, on June 14, 1920. He was a sociologist, economist, jurist, historian and political scientist; considered one of the founders of sociology and public administration.

In his work The Protestant Ethic and the "Spirit" of Capitalism, Weber analyzes the rational and even methodical modus vivendi of ascetic Protestantism and its influence on the formation of the capitalist spirit, which was based, in his opinion, on rational economic conduct.

This is a work in which one must pay close attention to the preliminary study and the footnotes, in order to achieve a historical and socioeconomic understanding in its proper dimension.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

Notion of community and creole liveliness

Once it occurred to me to ask, out of curiosity, a good american friend, what was the difference that he considered between the Venezuelan idiosyncrasy and that of his country of origin? and, the answer was: well, I think the sense of belonging and community.

After that, when I told my venezuelan friends that opinion and, when they were about to refute that assessment, they finally bowed in favor of the american; They said, yes, he is right.

Then, as time went by, I tried to appreciate that sentence in the life experiences that I had to go through. In my classroom at the university, when we tried to solve a problem, it was difficult to agree even if there were no more than twenty of us. In the workplace, the same thing emerged in the same way, both in conduct and in omissions.

In venezuelan society, it seems that suspicion and waiting from our inaction and comfort for others or someone else to resolve the conflict situation or the resolution of any common problem, is the constant and normal way of assuming daily life with respect to our self-responsibility.

It is normal to see that each and every one of the community members compete to see who does the least, who refrains from participating the most. Creole liveliness, which is not an exclusive element of venezuelan society, is evident in each of the facets that we have to live, as a member of a specific human group.

The habit of waiting for everything to be given to you. The belief that things should be obtained without paying a fair price that guarantees the supplier to continue operating his business are patterns that come from within the home. It is believed, according to experts, that these are formed within the first seven years of the individual's life and will mark and guide our behavior throughout our existence, unless these acquired models are superimposed and altered or modified for the better.

On one occasion when I was exposing these reflections to a co-worker, he asked me: Miguel, and if someone stops applying creole liveliness in their life, then what would be their antonym, that is to say the opposite, perhaps, will he then be an asshole or a creole fool? To which I replied: no, that guy will have become a being that will breathe and live, creole decency. And, what do you think?

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

Platero y yo - Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón

Juan Ramón Jiménez Mantecón, was born in Moguer, Spain, on December 23, 1881 and died in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on May 29, 1958. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for the compendium of his works, among which distinguishes the lyrical prose poem "Platero and I."

On this occasion I bring you this lyrical poetry by this Nobel Prize winner, which is drawn throughout its pages, with wonderfully decorated scenes and images, without falling into the linguistic goldsmithing to which many creators appeal and which disgusts many others.

I believe, and so I did, that the book should be read audibly to oneself, in order to extract with greater benefit for the soul, the sensory richness it contains.

Jiménez warns at the beginning of the work that it was not written for children; But, yes, it is a story of the poet's childhood experiences in his town of Moguer, Huelva, along with his good and inseparable friend, the donkey "Platero."

I believe that it should not be easy to work on the creation of lyrical poetry, unless the subject that is removed overflows its heart onto the paper. In this gem of literature, the author did the same by going back to his childhood memories, which were masterfully captured until eternity.

I hope you have the opportunity to enjoy it as I did.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel

 

What does it mean to not let the old man in?

Going around the immense world of the web, I came across a video of a television presenter, who in turn made reference to an article or note that talked about a conversation that the actor Clint Eastwood had with a friend of his while They played golf.

The Hollywood star's friend said something like: Clint, how do you make him always look young and be in good spirits most of the time? Mr. Eastwood, who was in his nineties, responded: Dear friend, I am determined not to let the old man into my life. Perhaps, the interlocutor looked at him strangely, to which he proceeded to explain, words more, words less:

—Every time I feel that the old man wants to come in, I throw him out. Sometimes I come home and see the old man lying on the couch, I look at him carefully and beat him out; I tell him to leave my house and my life.

Well, that's as far as the anecdote shared through the media and social networks in general ends; But, what if we wanted to obtain a lesson from those words spoken by the actor, what conclusions should we reach?

From my own life experience and age, which, when I am writing this article, is fifty-eight years old, I can go on to reflect the following: At this age, which is half of the North American actor in comment, the popularly called ailments of The autumn season of every human being is present and, together with the experiential experience that accompanies us from our mind, produces emotional states that appear as if it were an ogre or a grump.

And the above is so because, in the face of any behavior that appears from people with whom we do not interact, we have a very clear idea of ​​what that action is going to end up with, and the impatience or boredom that the discomfort of our body gives us, It makes us explode with insults and insults towards this guy who is just beginning to show himself.

"The old man" is going to manifest itself in the most diverse situations of our lives; That is, if we let him in. For example: in front of a television screen, criticizing a program or person. It could be on the street, when we see a billboard that we don't agree with, because in the past the old man saw how something that was advertised as similar ended and immediately begins to criticize and even curse.

Well, I'll say who reads this, and how do I not let the old man in? The answer, since I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist, is: put yourself in the shoes or place and psycho-socioeconomic situation of the person you plan to censor. You must try to convince yourself that no matter how much experience you have, not all behaviors will end with the bad experience that you have had in the past; try to think that there are still many people who act in good faith in this world; But yes, be a little cautious in your assessments, to save your own interests in case your hunches were right and your prophecies come to pass.

Author: Miguel Ángel Moreno Villarroel