Will 2026 be the quiet rebrand of audiology?

Hearing care is undergoing a quiet shift from treating hearing loss to optimising how we listen.In this short episode of the Psychoaudiology Podcast, Priscilla explores how consumer technology like AirPods is blurring the line between everyday audio and hearing support, what this means for stigma, and how innovations such as Auracast are changing the listening demands of public spaces.Rather than asking individuals to work harder to hear, these developments point toward a future where sound is personalised, accessible, and cognitively kinder. A brief reflection on what 2026 may have in store as this generalising occurs, and what what could mean for audiologists.