Ep. 8: The Business of Content: Journalist and Podcaster Simon Owens on Parasocial Relationships

The Upgrade: Beyond the Hype

Simon Owens started his career as a newspaper reporter, but today he covers the media himself through this popular Substack and as the host of his podcast The Business of Content. Simon has successfully built an audience for his independent work by honing in on a concept known as parasocial relationships – the personal connection between a creator and their audience. Simon talked with host Peter Bittner about how generative AI is changing the way both publishers and content creators can develop these relationships.

Show Notes:

(1:35) The parasocial relationship

(4:55) AI: To hype or not to hype – that is the question

(8:11) How AI can assist journalists digging through public records

(12:16) The Upgrade’s course on how to use LMMs for research

(13:43) The differences between AI and crypto

(14:57) The problem with disinformation and how AI can increase the dangers

(18:27) How the courts might help to regulate generative AI

(19:06) The New York Times vs. OpenAI

(21:24) Generative AI’s ability to strengthen parasocial relationships between creators and those who consume their content

(22:22) The Globe and Mail and the rise of the so-called dynamic paywall

(23:39) AI-powered audio players and their ability to increase subscription revenue for publications

(26:44) How Simon uses social media after the implosion of Twitter

Simon’s podcast The Business of Content:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-business-of-content/id1339451218

Simon’s Substack:

https://simonowens.substack.com

For more information on The Upgrade and our online courses:

https://www.theupgrade.ai/

Connect with The Upgrade’s founder and CEO:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-j-bittner/

Special thanks to Mitch Walker for helping to design the podcast’s artwork