In this world, there are at least two things that I like: sleeping, and laughing and it just so un-coincidentally happened that I watched a TedTalk on sleeping and a RadioLab podcast on laughing. While the two of them were both at least mildly entertaining, I personally preferred the RadioLab podcast not so much because of the content, but on the platform on which it was presented.
Jeff Iliff’s TedTalk was filmed in front of a live audience where he spoke to convey an important message on sleeping; he wanted to reveal information on what happens to the brain while we sleep to ensure everyone knows what happens when we don’t. According to him and the images of mice’s brains, the brain undergoes a cleaning process while we sleep – getting rid of certain waste such as the amyloid-beta protein, which is related to Alzheimer’s disease.
RadioLab expanded on otherwise considered trivial information on something that we should be doing on a day to day basis. There are two hosts having a conversation while calling into official sources to explain laughing further. They had a scientist who tickled mice, another who observed her own child and her developments in laughter, as well as the live-studio audiences who “professionally” laugh during filmings. RadioLab is fit for audiences who want a light and quick learning experience.
Looking at the two media platforms as a whole, the TEDTalk, “One More Reason to Get a Good Night’s Sleep” led by Jeff Iliff, required active listening (and watching) versus RadioLab’s “Is Laughter Just a Human Thing?” allowed for more passive listening. The length of the TEDTalks, in general, hit a sweet spot of 10-20 minutes, long enough to keep your attention without having to be stopped. It was a more technical and scientific lecture than RadioLab’s casual informative banter. Meanwhile, RadioLab’s podcasts can last as long as an hour, but since they do not require all of your attention to understand, the lack of a video allows for multi-tasking to commence.
Whether podcast or video, these different media informations are appropriate for the quality of information they convey. The video fits a serious conversation involving deeply (deep when compared to RadioLab of course), while a podcast (having only audio) is good for expressing simple information.
Whether podcast or video, these different media informations are appropriate for the quality of information they convey. The video fits a serious conversation involving specific, technical (technical when compared to RadioLab of course) information, while the audio is good for light listening in the car or when completing other tasks.
http://www.radiolab.org/story/91589-is-laughter-just-a-human-thing/
