PERMANENCE AND PRESERVATION IN THE BRAZILIAN BLACK PODOSPHEREand Preservation in the Brazilian Black Podosphere

SOME CONSIDERATIONS   

Abstract

Over the past two decades, podcasting has consolidated itself as one of the most dynamic and accessible digital media formats, fostering the circulation of diverse narratives. In the Afro-Brazilian context, it stands out as a space of memory and identity affirmation, given the centrality of orality in the transmission of knowledge and historical resistance. This article presents a brief analysis of how the descriptions of podcasts within the Brazilian Black podosphere reveal strategies of identity construction and collective memory, while discussing the challenges of permanence and preservation of these sound records in platformized digital environments. Methodologically is a qualitative, exploratory, and documentary study based on content analysis of 117 podcast channel descriptions collected between 2023 and 2025 across digital platforms. The descriptions were treated as units of analysis, as they constitute forms of discursive self-presentation and symbolic indexing. The results indicate a geographic concentration of channels in the Southeast region and reveal a high inactivity rate (82.1%), suggesting the vulnerability of productions due to dependence on private platforms. Recurring references to memory, ancestry, orality, and resistance were observed, showing that descriptions function as narrative metadata and documentary markers of identity and belonging. It is concluded that podcasts in the Brazilian Black podosphere operate as digital sites of memory but face challenges of permanence and preservation arising from the instability of digital infrastructures and the absence of systematic curatorial policies. The study highlights the need for specific digital preservation strategies that recognize the cultural and political relevance of these independent productions.