Contextual Report - Curiosity in Rising

BCM302 [Advanced Digital Artefact] Final Assessment

This semester, I released the final episodes for my Digital Artefact, Curiosity in Rising, a podcast series which focuses on lifestyle and spirituality topics. My project aimed to educate and inspire, through podcast episodes which generally focused on lifestyle or spirituality topics across 20-40 minutes. In this report, I’ll summarise the last few weeks of work on my digital artefact and reflect on key learning moments which helped inform Curiosity in Rising’s (CiR) ultimate social utility.  

Since the last report, I continued to work on my digital artefact in numerous ways, the Instagram page was very active and was able to achieve some of its highest viewership across its two year lifespan. Three more episodes arrived after the first of the semester which focused on music marketing with Kai. As this is my final semester in the Digital and Social Media major, I decided early on that this semester would be the final time I work on Curiosity in Rising. As much as I love this project, it is of course time consuming, and my passion for it has experienced peaks and valleys. I knew that I would not have the time or enthusiasm level next year to continue to work on it outside of it being an assessment.

The concept of antifragility, as developed by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, refers to systems or entities that don’t just withstand shocks and disruptions but actually grow stronger from them. This idea applies well to the evolution of Curiosity in Rising as a digital artefact. The podcast didn’t merely survive the challenges of fluctuating audience interests, platform algorithms, or digital content trends—it thrived by learning from them and adapting accordingly. For instance, the rise in viewership from certain Instagram posts, particularly those leveraging viral hashtags or well-crafted infographics on lifestyle practices, is a testament to how the podcast adapted to external forces. Rather than being weakened by the unpredictability of digital ecosystems, the podcast grew stronger through continuous learning and experimentation across the past three years of study. Oftentimes when I was simply talking about a topic I actually understood and was enthusiastic about, I’d notice the retention rate was more successful, as opposed to the less relatable or mundane topics. This informed my approach this semester as I decided to be a bit less formal and focus more on what I actually felt like I wanted or needed to say. 

Antifragility is key in understanding how systems can evolve positively through stress (Taleb, 2012). This framework contrasts with fragile systems that collapse under pressure, or resilient ones that merely endure without improvement. In the case of Curiosity in Rising, the podcast and its accompanying social media presence became antifragile by responding to audience feedback, experimenting with different content strategies, and adapting to algorithmic shifts. For example, when certain spiritual or mindfulness-related posts outperformed others, I adjusted my content strategy to capitalise on these insights, resulting in greater engagement for the podcast episode. A strong example of this: earlier this year I released an episode which mentioned the HECS debt increases in Australia, so to promote the episode, I created an infographic to post on the Instagram page, used relevant hashtags in its comment section, and then the episode experienced 15 more listens than the episode it had followed. The antifragile nature of the podcast highlights a broader principle in digital media creation - success often stems from a willingness to embrace uncertainty and learn from failure. As digital environments like Instagram are constantly shifting due to algorithmic changes and user behaviour, antifragility becomes essential for maintaining relevance. Taleb (2012) argues that the ability to thrive in chaotic and uncertain environments is a mark of antifragility, a concept that can directly align with the evolution of Curiosity in Rising in the fragmented and competitive space of online content creation.

The Podcast's Farewell

Before saying goodbye, I wanted to go back to the podcast’s spiritual roots and do a bit of a paranormal storytime type of episode. Therefore I decided to release an episode titled ‘Tales from the Other Side’ which focused on the afterlife, reading stories from reddit as well as from listeners who had submitted their own. In October, it was then time to wrap up, I released an episode with fellow BCM student Melissa Burns who runs Luxure Social to discuss algorithms and her advice to social media freelancers, this was a great conversation which seemed to be enjoyed by a number of listeners. Melissa proved to be the right choice as one of the final guests on my podcast, she was extremely well spoken and had a lot of advice and opinions to share regarding social media, future trends in freelancing and University studies. I also think the great audio quality and overall flow of conversation - mostly interview style - made it one of the strongest episodes.

Finally time to say farewell, I was joined in the studios of Building 29 by friends Lara and Kai, we discussed my favourite - and least favourite - moments of Curiosity in Rising throughout the years while also giving some words of advice to future Communications and Media students. This final episode was the most successful of the semester. It included messages of farewell from numerous previous guests and was an overall big series recap and wrap up. I'm really glad I ended my digital artefact in this way, tying a nice bow on it and giving myself and its followers some proper closure.

A change I made during this semester was the incorporation of timestamps. After Spotify updating their platform, these were the first episodes I released while knowing how to set custom chapters. These appear underneath the podcast when streaming on Spotify and a listener may toggle to the point of the conversation they are most interested in. I believe this may have helped viewership and was quite frankly just really glad I chose to insert timestamps for visual appeal and accessibility. If a listener begins to feel bored during a podcast and they can’t see timestamps, they are probably going to decide to stop listening, likely never revisiting the episode. However, when they can see timestamps, the listener can check when the topic is going to change and see what lies ahead, rather than leaving they can simply skip to a preferred section of the episode. This improves retention rates and the “minutes listened” statistic in your analytics, so I was super pleased to add this feature to my podcast.

List of 2024 (Season 3) CIR Episodes

Another aspect of my DA which I have not highlighted in prior reports but which I believe has been integral: Songs of the Week . From the very start of Curiosity in Rising in 2022, I wanted to incorporate musical elements to the podcast series. I landed on the Song of the Week format, which would see most episodes be accompanied by a song which tended to focus on lifestyle or spiritual elements, tracks I loved which were introspective, inspirational and affirmative were chosen. They would be highlighted in the podcast episode descriptions and a reel would be posted on the CIR instagram page. Not only do I think this allowed me to show off songs that weren't always very popular, but I also was able to experiment and brush up on my graphic design skills. This also was a key element in my podcast's promotion, due to the hashtags that I'd use on these reels - focusing on the artist or lyrics - they furthered my DA's social utility and allowed it to be discovered by more online tribes such as music fans.

Marketing this semester's episodes as the final episodes, making it publicly known and letting the audience in on the closure of my DA, I believe was a great move. Not only did the series finale episode achieve the most streams of 2024, but the content on the Instagram which reflected on the CIR journey was responded to well. Even if it was mainly friends or acquaintances of mine, it is still nice to see your content shown some love.

Paradigm Shifts

My Digital Artefact serves as a direct example of how paradigm shifts manifest within modern media. Paradigms—those deeply ingrained sets of beliefs and assumptions—shape our understanding of the world, yet they are always subject to change as society evolves. My podcast reflects these shifts by challenging traditional ways of thinking about spirituality, culture, society and technology. In episodes where I’ve discussed personal growth or mindfulness, there’s an emphasis on questioning conventional practices in favour of more introspective approaches. This can reflect a broader societal shift towards valuing emotional well-being and self-awareness over material success and traditional values. Moreover, Curiosity in Rising engages with ongoing cultural shifts, particularly around inclusivity and identity. Episodes like the one featuring Monique McQuire in 2023 highlight how discussions around LGBTQ+ spirituality reflect new, more inclusive ways of understanding religion and self-expression. These conversations contribute to a larger movement that is reshaping how society views both religion and personal identity, reflecting a shift away from rigid, traditional norms. The episode which was released in Week 9, focused on stories people shared whereby they believe they were sent a sign from a deceased loved one, thus expanded CiR’s spiritual and new-age themes, and may perhaps open the mind of a ‘sceptic’. 

Podcast Analytics on September 15, 2024

Social Utility and Final Thoughts

What I can learn from my time in the Digital and Social Media major at Uni and my creation of Curiosity in Rising is the importance of tailoring content and strategies to segmented digital spheres, especially when trying to reach audiences across platforms. The Instagram page’s success in gaining viewership, likely driven by targeted use of spiritual and lifestyle content, can highlight how creators must adapt to the nuances of each digital ecosystem. It also points to the necessity of understanding the specific digital spaces that align with the audience’s values and interests in a fragmented internet. By embracing these divisions and tailoring content to suit the platform’s strengths, you can better navigate the splinternet and find success within its segmented audiences.

Curiosity in Rising promoted open-mindedness and provided social utility by addressing key social issues through diverse topics. It has fostered listeners' curiosity and acceptance of diverse perspectives, while also addressing significant issues such as LGBTQ+ rights, modern online dating, fashion journalism and promoting inclusivity and understanding in society. It’s been a great semester and I’m super pleased with what I created thanks to this capstone subject. It feels a little strange knowing that I won't be creating any more episodes for Curiosity in Rising - and that I only have one year of University left - but I feel beyond proud of what I achieved across the three years and believe this digital artefact exists as a strong representation of myself both personally and as a media student. I will always keep CIR on my public media portfolio and likely mention it in future job applications - I have already embarked on an exciting internship opportunity thanks to this. So goodbye Curiosity in Rising and that's a wrap on my major!

REFERENCES:

Stallkamp, M., 2021. After TikTok: International business and the splinternet. AIB Insights, 21(2), pp.1-5.  

Taleb, NN 2012, Antifragile: things that gain from disorder, Random House, New York.

[Ed Reiner - What is a Paradigm: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D55ctBYF3AY&ab_channel=TED ]