A Combined Model Proposal for the Analysis of the Increased Interest Toward Podcasts in New Markets: The Case of Turkey
Description
Podcasts have been offered as a new service by digital music providers for several years now. The shift from Really Simple Syndication (RSS) distribution to central distribution channels has increased the interest in podcasts in low-consumption markets. This study aimed to examine the reasons for the recent increased interest in podcasts in Turkey. To analyze the growth in the popularity of podcasts, a model based on the Technology Acceptance Model and the Uses and Gratifications Theory was used, and a questionnaire targeting the users who listened to podcasts through Spotify, the most popular music streaming service in Turkey, was administered. According to the data obtained, the majority of the participants had first heard about podcasts through Spotify once they announced that they were offering podcasts as part of their services. The perceived ease of use in listening to podcasts served as the major factor behind listening motivations, perceived usefulness of the services, and attitude towards use. Therefore, although the popularization of podcasts in new markets seems to be associated with their unique content, the decisive factor driving the popularization of podcasts is actually more related to the ability podcasts offer users, who are faced with so many stimuli, to access the preferred content anytime and anywhere in a clear and straight forward manner.
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The sample for the study was drawn from a population of 67,241 students studying in different programs (associate-bachelor-postgraduate) at a university in the Marmara Region. It was easy to contact the selected sample and there was the opportunity to collect robust data as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic conditions, which was an advantage. Random sampling was used to select the participants for the sample. In this study, to determine the sample size, the formula of n= π (1- π)/(e/Z) ², an error margin of 5%, and a confidence level of 95% were applied, with the results indicating a minimum sample size of 382. To disseminate the online questionnaire form among students, invitations to take part in the questionnaire were sent to the accounts of active users of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram and to other social groups from the selected university. A total of 736 participants were contacted in this way. The response forms of 103 participants, 91 who stated that they were from other universities and 12 who provided false information, were excluded from the analysis. The remaining 633 response forms and other study data were analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) program and the AMOS package programs. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was applied in the present study. Of the participants, 45 were studying in an associate degree program, 546 were studying in a bachelor’s degree program, and 42 were studying in a postgraduate program. Moreover, 63% of the participants were female, while 37% were male. A majority of the participants (54.5%) were between 20 and 22 years of age, followed by the 23-25 year age group (19.7%), the 17-19 year age group (15%), and the 26 and above age group (10.7%). Data Collection and Scale Development The measurement instruments selected in line with the TAM and U&G theory were those that have been commonly used in previous studies and thus could be considered highly reliable and valid. Accordingly, the scale items were adapted from previous studies . To address each of the hypotheses, a 5-point Likert-type scale (1=Definitely Agree, 5=Definitely Disagree), which is commonly used and familiar to the participants, was used. A pilot test of the questionnaire form was conducted with 12 people through face-to-face interviews (video chat) to identify ambiguities or any other errors in the 41 scale items and prevent any issues regarding the comprehensibility of the items. In the second step, the questionnaire form was administered to 100 people through an online module to test the factor distributions and reliability levels of the hypotheses; one of the SC statements was found to have received loads from at least two factors and thus was excluded from the study.