When it comes to podcasts, mental health has been the genre with the most impressive growth. (Photo: Getty/Thinkstock) The pandemic has been tough for people who were already dealing with some mental health issues. Among them, millennials and Gen Zs have been hit particularly hard, having to stay away from people and experiences that may potentially be good for their mental and emotional growth.
In the absence of actual physical rendezvous, they have turned to virtual mediums now, so as to keep themselves fruitfully occupied. As such, it has been found that essentially it is the audio medium that is encouraging millennials and Gen Zs to tune into themselves and get some respite from stress.
According to Spotify’s Culture Next Report, in India, audio is a more “wholesome” type of content for both millennials and Gen Zs, with 87 per cent of millennials and 77 per cent of Gen Zs agreeing that they use audio to reduce their stress levels.
Additionally, 84 per cent of millennials see audio as a mental health resource, while 79 per cent of Zs believe it to be healing. In fact, nearly 80 per cent of millennials and 55 per cent of Zs have become a part of a global community because of either music or podcasts, with podcasters being perceived as authentic, accessible, and trustworthy.
Furthermore, 48 per cent of millennials and Gen Zs have ranked their trust in podcasts higher than their average trust in traditional media sources like national TV news, newspapers, and radio. Interestingly, mental health has been the genre with the most impressive growth, with an increase of over 600 per cent among millennials and more than 900 per cent among Zs. Per the report, other popular genres have been: alternative health, spirituality, and self-help.
While 58 per cent of millennials and 76 per cent of Zs have said they sought content from more diverse creators and podcasts in the last one year, approximately 80 per cent of millennials and nearly 70 per cent of Zs agreed that podcast hosts “sometimes feel like a friend”.
Music streaming
The report also mentions that 80 per cent of Zs have felt “more centered and generally happier” when listening to their favourite music on a daily basis, and 84 per cent of millennials and 68 per cent of Zs believe music is a “gateway to other cultures”.
This is the second year that India featured in the report, alongside 17 other Spotify markets.
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