Orson Welles rose to notoriety with his broadcast of War of the Worlds in 1938. Legend has it, his realistic broadcast complete with news alert, brought offices and drivers to a standstill, shocked that Mars was indeed invading America. The broadcast aired during a perfect storm of factors: on the one hand a backdrop of foreboding with the rise of Hitler in Europe and on the other the emergence of the modern industrial consumer who turned to mass media for information and connection. Fast forward to 2021 and the latest data from the Infinite Dial report in Australia shows us how weekly podcast listening grew 53% over a period of 12 months (the last report being polled pre-Covid lockdown). https://www.adnews.com.au/news/digital-audio-continues-to-climb-with-podcast-listening-up-37 Michael Stelzner, the CEO of Social Media Examiner, explains why audio is filling a void left by the disconnection we feel from this unprecedented era in history, "the pandemic has made so many of us yearn for real, live conversations and Clubhouse brings a unique dynamic by adding social elements to it.” - source Forbes https://www.forbes.com/sites/cathyhackl/2021/02/05/community-is-at-the-heart-of-social-audio-with-clubhouse