<div class="relative basis-auto flex-col -mb-(--composer-overlap-px) pb-(--composer-overlap-px) [--composer-overlap-px:28px] grow flex" data-voice-floating-orb-focus-background=""> <div class="flex flex-col text-sm"> <div class="qMYqUG_convSearchResultHighlightRoot"> <div class="" data-turn-id-container="request-6a0e5ad6-f47c-83ea-b14e-46a6e20fda63-3" data-is-intersecting="true"> <section class="text-token-text-primary w-full focus:outline-none has-data-writing-block:pointer-events-none [&amp;:has([data-writing-block])&gt;*]:pointer-events-auto R6Vx5W_threadScrollVars scroll-mb-[calc(var(--scroll-root-safe-area-inset-bottom,0px)+var(--thread-response-height))] scroll-mt-[calc(var(--header-height)+min(200px,max(70px,20svh)))]" dir="auto" data-turn-id="request-6a0e5ad6-f47c-83ea-b14e-46a6e20fda63-3" data-turn-id-container="request-6a0e5ad6-f47c-83ea-b14e-46a6e20fda63-3" data-testid="conversation-turn-28" data-scroll-anchor="false" data-turn="assistant"> <div class="text-base my-auto mx-auto pb-10 [--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-xs,calc(var(--spacing)*4))] @w-sm/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-sm,calc(var(--spacing)*6))] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-margin:var(--thread-content-margin-lg,calc(var(--spacing)*16))] px-(--thread-content-margin)"> <div class="[--thread-content-max-width:40rem] @w-lg/main:[--thread-content-max-width:48rem] mx-auto max-w-(--thread-content-max-width) flex-1 group/turn-messages focus-visible:outline-hidden relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn"> <div class="flex max-w-full flex-col gap-4 grow"> <div class="min-h-8 text-message relative flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 text-start break-words whitespace-normal outline-none keyboard-focused:focus-ring [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-1" dir="auto" tabindex="0" data-message-author-role="assistant" data-message-id="f1939211-df73-40b8-8284-a5373b05be4d" data-turn-start-message="true" data-message-model-slug="gpt-5-5-thinking"> <div class="flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden"> <div class="markdown prose dark:prose-invert wrap-break-word w-full dark markdown-new-styling"> <p data-start="60" data-end="378"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="alignleft size-full wp-image-2188" src="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Newest-New-Media-Show-665-300x300-Episode.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="300" srcset="https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Newest-New-Media-Show-665-300x300-Episode.jpg 300w, https://newmediashow.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Newest-New-Media-Show-665-300x300-Episode-150x150.jpg 150w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />In episode <strong data-start="71" data-end="78">665</strong> of the <strong data-start="86" data-end="104">New Media Show</strong>, hosted by <strong data-start="116" data-end="159">2017 Podcast Hall of Famer Rob Greenlee</strong>, Rob talks with <strong data-start="176" data-end="198">Ashley Christenson</strong>, also known as <strong data-start="214" data-end="223">Ashni</strong>, for <em>a deep conversation about one of the most important questions facing podcasting, streaming, creator media, startups, and traditional media right now:</em></p> <p data-start="380" data-end="426"><strong data-start="380" data-end="426">What does “New Media” actually mean today?</strong></p> <p data-start="428" data-end="889">The term <span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><strong>&#8220;New Media&#8221;</strong> has been around since the late 1990s, but its</span> meaning is shifting again. What once described digital media outside traditional broadcast and print is now being used by creators, VCs, startups, streaming strategists, AI companies, and professional communities to refer to something more specific: creator-led media that builds trust, influence, industry position, and direct audience relationships.</p> <p data-start="891" data-end="1454">Ashley brings a unique perspective from 13 years in online media, Twitch streaming, YouTube education, startup marketing, community building, and creator strategy. She explains <strong data-start="1211" data-end="1266"><span style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">that she sees the <strong>creator economy</strong> as building an <strong>audience as the asset</strong>, whereas the emerging version of <strong>New Media</strong> is more about building <strong>status and position within</strong></span> an industry conversation</strong>. In her view, the key difference is not simply between consumer and professional audiences, but about what the media operation is designed to build and protect.</p> <p data-start="1456" data-end="1945">Rob brings the longer history of podcasting and digital media into the discussion, asking whether podcasting was one of the first major expressions of New Media and whether it now sits within a much larger creator-led ecosystem. The conversation explores how podcasting, YouTube, streaming video, newsletters, live shows, X, AI-generated content, and Apple Podcasts’ move toward <strong data-start="1832" data-end="1855">HLS video streaming</strong> are all blurring the old lines between podcasting, creator media, and professional media.</p> <p data-start="1947" data-end="2320">A major theme in this episode is whether podcasting is still its own category or has become a powerful format within the broader <strong data-start="2089" data-end="2111">New Media industry</strong>. Rob argues that the word “podcast” is increasingly defined by audiences and platforms, while creators may need to think more broadly as show builders, media operators, and participants in the creator economy.</p> <p data-start="2322" data-end="2654">Ashley and Rob also explore how <strong data-start="2354" data-end="2359">X</strong> is becoming a real-time professional media layer, why founders, investors, executives, and AI builders are returning to the platform, and why companies are experimenting with live streaming, clipping, launch videos, short-form content, and creator-style formats to reach professional audiences.</p> <p data-start="2656" data-end="2988">The episode also moves into AI-generated media, human-hosted content, AI clones, disclosure, and trust. Rob argues that human-created and AI-created content may both need clear labeling, while Ashley points out that long-form podcasts may remain more defensible because listeners often build real relationships with hosts over time.</p> <p data-start="2990" data-end="3396">This conversation lands on a bigger media reality: <strong data-start="3041" data-end="3091">New Media is no longer just a technology term.</strong> It is becoming a business category, a creator category, a trust category, and a professional influence category. Podcasting helped build the foundation, but the next version of New Media is broader, more video-driven, more AI-assisted, more platform-diverse, and more dependent on trust than ever before.</p> <p data-start="3398" data-end="3419"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><strong>Key Topics:</strong></span></p> <ul data-start="3421" data-end="4136"> <li data-start="3421" data-end="3455">What “New Media” means in 2026</li> <li data-start="3456" data-end="3489">Creator economy vs. New Media</li> <li data-start="3490" data-end="3537">Audience as an asset vs. status as an asset</li> <li data-start="3538" data-end="3586">Why podcasting helped define early New Media</li> <li data-start="3587" data-end="3663">Whether podcasters should now think more like creators and show builders</li> <li data-start="3664" data-end="3727">Apple Podcasts HLS video and the return of video podcasting</li> <li data-start="3728" data-end="3788">YouTube, Spotify, X, and the platform shift around shows</li> <li data-start="3789" data-end="3842">Why VCs and startups are using the term New Media</li> <li data-start="3843" data-end="3898">X is a professional media and live content platform</li> <li data-start="3899" data-end="3958">Traditional media is trying to become more internet-native</li> <li data-start="3959" data-end="4016">AI-generated podcasts, AI clones, and synthetic media</li> <li data-start="4017" data-end="4073">Human-hosted content, disclosure, and audience trust</li> <li data-start="4074" data-end="4136">Why long-form podcasts may remain defensible in the AI era</li> </ul> <p data-start="4138" data-end="4161"><strong>Chapter Markers:</strong></p> <p data-start="4138" data-end="4161"><span style="font-size: 14px;">00:00 Cold Open and Welcome</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">00:32 What Does New Media Mean</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">02:08 Podcasting Meets Multi Format</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">03:14 Meet Rob Greenlee</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">04:01 Introducing Ashley Christensen</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">04:53 Ashley&#8217;s Creator Economy Journey</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">08:26 AI Definitions of New Media</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">12:35 Creator Economy vs New Media</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">16:29 The Kill Switch Test</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">21:38 Is VC Rebranding New Media</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">24:10 Niche Status Media Examples</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">31:55 Traditional Media Goes Internet Native</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">34:59 Podcasting Identity and Convergence</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">41:35 Creator as a Catch-All Term</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">43:56 Naming New Media</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">46:11 Podcast Term Debate</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">51:02 X Shapes Media</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">55:35 X Video Creator Push</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:00:51 Twitter Podcast Roots</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:04:38 AI Flooding Podcasts</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:07:48 Human Trust Labels</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:11:34 Clones and Disclosure</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:17:49 Trust Factor Wrap</span><br /> <span style="font-size: 14px;">01:18:19 Closing and Where to Follow</span></p> <h2 data-start="4138" data-end="4161">Guest and Host Links</h2> <p data-start="4163" data-end="4265"><strong data-start="4163" data-end="4200">Guest: Ashley Christenson / Ashni</strong><br data-start="4200" data-end="4203" /><br /> Streaming strategist, creator economy, and new media operator</p> <ul data-start="4267" data-end="4391"> <li data-start="4267" data-end="4299">X: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://x.com/ashnichrist" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4272" data-end="4297">https://x.com/ashnichrist</a></li> <li data-start="4300" data-end="4345">YouTube: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://youtube.com/@ashnichrist" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4311" data-end="4343">https://youtube.com/@ashnichrist</a></li> <li data-start="4346" data-end="4391">Hype Partners: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://x.com/hypepartners" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4363" data-end="4389">https://x.com/hypepartners</a></li> </ul> <p data-start="4393" data-end="4415"><strong data-start="4393" data-end="4415">Host: Rob Greenlee</strong></p> <ul data-start="4417" data-end="4682"> <li data-start="4417" data-end="4461">New Media Show: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://newmediashow.com?utm_source=chatgpt.com" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4435" data-end="4459">https://newmediashow.com</a></li> <li data-start="4462" data-end="4503">Rob Greenlee: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://robgreenlee.com" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4478" data-end="4501">https://robgreenlee.com</a></li> <li data-start="4504" data-end="4553">Podcast Hall of Fame: <a class="decorated-link" href="https://podcasthall.com" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4528" data-end="4551">https://podcasthall.com</a></li> <li data-start="4554" data-end="4623">Rob Greenlee on LinkedIn: <a class="decorated-link cursor-pointer" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4582" data-end="4621">https://www.linkedin.com/in/robgreenlee</a></li> <li data-start="4624" data-end="4682">Rob Greenlee Booking: <a class="decorated-link cursor-pointer" target="_new" rel="noopener" data-start="4648" data-end="4680">https://calendly.com/robgreenlee</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>About the Host/Author:</strong><br /> <em>Rob Greenlee is a <strong>2017 Podcast Hall of Fame inductee and Chair</strong>, a global new-media leader who bridges podcasting’s human roots and its AI-driven future. As founder of <strong>Trust Factor Lab</strong> and host of the <strong>&#8220;New Media Show&#8221;</strong> and &#8220;Spoken Human&#8221;, Rob helps creators start, grow, monetize, and future-proof their content. He’s held leadership roles at Microsoft, Spreaker, Libsyn, StreamYard, and PodcastOne, and serves as Chairperson of the Podcast Hall of Fame. <strong>Learn more at <a href="https://RobGreenlee.com">RobGreenlee.com</a></strong> and join the <strong><a href="https://robgreenlee.com/trustfactorlab/">Trust Factor Lab Creator/Podcast Services.</a></strong></em></p> <p><em><strong>Personal/AI Disclosure Note:</strong> I used AI tools to help organize and edit this episode and generate show notes. I have many hand edits; the views, clarifications, responsibility, and industry perspective are mine and my guests&#8217;. I have been working in podcasting and platform adoption for more than two decades, and this article reflects my own position. The original word choice was mine, and so is the clarification.</em></p> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </section> </div> </div> </div> </div><p>The post <a href="https://newmediashow.com/what-is-new-media-now-vs-podcasting-ashley-christenson-ashni-665/">What Is New Media Now vs Podcasting? | Ashley Christenson / @Ashni #665</a> first appeared on <a href="https://newmediashow.com">New Media Show</a>.</p>