【新译Y宇宙】No. 33 播客为何逐渐“网飞化”

Whether you listen to podcasts or not, it’s worth appreciating something odd about them. Podcasting has been one of the few areas of digital information and entertainment that hasn’t been controlled by giant corporations. That phase is ending, and there’s now a battle to become a Big Tech Boss of podcasts.

不管你听不听播客，都值得欣赏一些不同寻常的东西。播客是数字信息和娱乐领域中少数没有被大公司控制的领域之一。然而，这个阶段即将结束，现在有一场成为播客科技巨头的战斗。

The past weeks of controversy involving the podcast host Joe Rogan highlighted the ways that Spotify and other companies want to become a Netflix of podcasting. They imagine controlling both popular programming like Rogan’s show and the digital spot where we listen.

过去几周，播客主持人乔·罗根（Joe Rogan）引发的争议凸显出，Spotify和其他公司希望成为播客的Netflix。他们想控制像罗根的节目这样的热门节目以及我们收听这些节目的网络平台。

图片来源 | pixabay

This comes at a time when tech nerds want to remodel the internet to be less dictated by powerful companies — captured by the umbrella term “Web3.” What’s happening to podcasts is a potentially discouraging lesson that utopian ideals of digital freedom may give way when the potential profits become too alluring.

技术宅们正想要改造互联网，让它不再被强大的公司所左右— —这被统称为“Web3”思潮。播客所发生的事情可能会让人感到沮丧：当潜在的利润变得过于诱人时，数字自由的乌托邦式的理想可能会被放弃。

Powerful companies taking more control over podcasts has its benefits. It’s easier to find stuff you might like because Amazon, Spotify or YouTube might suggest options for you to discover.

拥有更多播客控制权的强大公司也有其优势。因为亚马逊（Amazon）、Spotify或YouTube可以为你推荐内容，所以你更容易找到自己喜欢的东西。

But it’s also a bummer that podcasts are being tamed. As soon as something gets popular and potentially lucrative enough, digital services that are relatively uncontrolled become a land grab for tech gatekeepers. And with that land grab, we’ll probably see a bit less creative freedom.

但是播客正在被收编也是一件令人沮丧的事情。一旦一些东西变得流行，并有足够的潜在利润，相对不受控制的数字服务就会成为科技巨头的地盘。随着地盘被抢占，我们可能会看到创作自由的减少。