Audio has been around since, I suppose, the spoken language. The difference now is distribution and availability. Audiobooks, podcasts, smart phones, voice controlled home speaker systems, connected cars, and who knows what will come next.
I’m not going to pretend to be a lifelong audiophile who knows the ins and outs of dB, wavelength, pop filters, and certainly not...
It's just so easy. It's probably harder to not do it.
Maybe I just lived in the city too long but I can't get enough of the birds. "You'd think I live in the bird...