Underground U Analysis

Draft - First 750

Throughout life we take calculated and methodical steps towards the many decisions and aspects that make up our day to day. Whether that is regarding life at school, the workplace and even in general everyday activities. When thinking of these steps, I personally take great connection towards all three aspects. I am reminded of the podcast Underground U and the structure in which it provides throughout its multiple seasons. Throughout the podcast starting from the beginning, we are able to dive into many aspects of life within school and outside and the factors in which each person experiences these. The podcast dives into the inner workings of the emotional aspects and boundaries in which we all discover within school and the methods in which we can use these newfound boundaries to develop and grow. Though everyone throughout both season one and two of the podcast has their own unique experiences we are able to go on their own unique journey with them and then dive deep into our own internal thoughts and emotions that are provoked by the podcast. The aspect in which each story is told and the methods in which the narrator pulls the audience in, allows us to correlate this to our own experiences and as you progress within each episode you are able to develop a deep understanding of how your journey either is the same or if it differs. From the production standpoint, the producers took deep thought into the questions in which they asked each student and found a way to provoke answers in which everyone can someway relate back to themselves. While we are able to see this from the start of the podcast, we are able to see a drastically improved production quality within the second season. This only strengthens the capacity for deep understanding and correlation for each individual listening and allows for a better listening experience.

            A new chapter. That is what we all call new steps we take within this journey we call life. Just like a new chapter in our own life; We are able to perceive this from a new perspective within the podcast Underground U. Throughout season one of this podcast the producers take us on a journey through the college experiences of multiple different students and set a very somber yet realistic view on this new journey we have all embarked on. The tone in which each episode takes on shifts throughout the season allowing for deep personal thought and exploration The first episode of the podcast is a great example of how the producers set the stage for the audience and develop a tone in which provokes deep thought. The first episode’s title is the first of many of these major aspects in which build on this concept; By titling the episode “High School did nothing” (Underground U, Episode 1) they immediately being a thought-provoking process by making the listener question their own high school experience. The episode then goes on to introduce three individuals who each give insight into their own personal journeys throughout their first semester in university. A key example of one of the questions asked to a new student named Bre; She was asked about burnout specifically and her response, “I stress about everything” (Bre, 2:00 – 2:11.)  struck home for me on a deep level personally. The way in which the producers set this tone of burnout from the beginning allowed for a larger aspect of emotion to come into play and allowed each listener to feel their own emotions within regards to their burnout in aspects of their lives. However, when taking into account that this production was the first of many there is a lack of structure with regards to the questions running off into different topics that unfortunately derailed the grasp in which the episode was able to hold attention. This aspect of production does however develop as you progress into the season, and you are able to see the flourishing environment of not only the production team but the comfortability of the guests on the podcast that allows for more diligent and thought intriguing conversation in which listeners are able to develop their own personal opinions and thoughts. For example, we can take into consideration episode three. This episode introduces the audience to Natalie and her roommate and allows for a new complexity of friendship and the bonds in which it has on Natalie’s own personal experience.

Draft - Next 750

This aspect of production does however develop as you progress into the season, and you are able to see the flourishing environment of not only the production team but the comfortability of the guests on the podcast that allows for more diligent and thought intriguing conversation in which listeners are able to develop their own personal opinions and thoughts. For example, we can take into consideration episode three. This episode introduces the audience to Natalie and allows them insight into her life within college and the effects in which they have on her day-to-day. The producers ask her specifically about procrastination within her school life first and she gives the response of “I'm really bad about not doing assignments when I should or starting early, then it's right up to the deadline.” By answering the question in this manner she though giving a raw and emotional response allows for personal correlation in which the audience is able to directly connect these same feelings or emotions to their own personal experience whether it is the same or similar. The manner in which the production team structures their first question about procrastination grasps the attention of the viewers as it can be seen in more than just the aspects of school therefore allowing a larger audience pool and the ability to reach and connect with more. This continuous growth within the questioning line and the structure in which the show reforms the way guests present themselves can be seen throughout the development of season one but has an even more drastic presence within the second season.

The effects of burnout have a way of finding itself into the lives of many people throughout many aspects of society; From school, to work, to personal lives, it plays on the induvial and causes a wide range of emotions. These emotions have a way of sticking with us due to the drain in which they have on us. Underground U podcast season two strikes on this exact topic in their first episode of the season or in other words episode 11. This episode begins with the producers introducing the audience to the student Izzy. She dives into the complexities in which school has become a cause of burnout for her personally and the manners in which she goes about dealing with burnout. She states ““so I've been trying to get ahead in all my classes, so I'm kind of dealing with burnout, especially for the past week. Like, yesterday, I had a list of things that I could have done for school” (Izzy, 0:50-1:10), in response to the questioning from the procurers. This aspect of questioning was a strategic move to allow for connection within the audience to this but also allowing for Izzy to feel heard and comfortable enough to share her experiences allowing for this correlation to happened within the viewing experience. These aspects of burnout, led into methods in which she has found to cope within the different aspects of her life but also the relationships in which built a fostering environment. This introduction by the procurers of a second guest or Izzy’s roommate allows for a new complexity of friendship and the bonds in which it has on Izzy’s own personal experience has been influenced by her friendships. The addition the role of friendship plays within the college experience of Izzy and play an integral role into the aspects of a support system in which she has built within her first year of college and the pros and cons that come along with said relationship with regards to her school and personal life. This step of introducing a friend within the podcast was a method in which the production team skillfully imbedded a spark and or trigger in which the audience would gain a greater ability to connect and contextualizes these very aspects of friendship within their own college or personal experiences. The development of thought inducing topics only grow stronger with the progression of the Underground U podcast. The manner in which the episodes lacked the ability to grasps the full attention of the audience due to running off into other topics has been structured in a more effective workflow that allows the production team to maintain focus within each episode by structuring each question in a manner that the focus even if a run off conversation occurs is more focused towards the original topic. This can be seen in the episode with Izzy as she has her friend with her while she explains the complexities of burnout she faces on a day-to-day basis. However, the bond in which she has built with her roommate has allowed her to have a support system she can rely on; This reliance on another person has allowed for her to develop a balance within her daily life as she states “I also think that we like balance each other” (Izzy, 7:30 – 7:36), when talking about her roommate. This introduction of her roommate allows for audience to see the role in which friendship plays on her