Recently, I have somehow become “that guy” who listens to podcasts. When scrolling through Spotify recently, I realized that I listen to up to 12 different podcasts a week! I am simply the type of person who needs something in the background while doing work, working out, or just walking to class. It’s an easy type of multitasking that keeps all points of my brain in check.
It started naturally actually, first listening to the DIS Unplugged Podcast about theme park and entertainment news surrounding the Walt Disney Co. in 2017. I enjoyed how they had a “roundtable” with multiple perspectives about the particular topics of the week. I honestly think I like hearing different voices, it is thrilling and gives new perspective that can often be overlooked.
Toward the end of 2019, I was binging The Office (as you do) and heard about a new podcast by stars Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey called Office Ladies where they would break down each episode of the iconic show with behind the scenes details, info, etc. I was immediately hooked and ready to expand my podcast horizon. I soon found that Good Mythical Morning, a youtube show I watch, was starting a new podcast called A Hotdog Is a Sandwich” . This show broke-down the world’s biggest food debates like “Is cereal soup?” and “Does pineapple belong on pizza”. I found this concept so intriguing, so I again fell in love. This same story goes on and on about 10 more times.Interests just happen to spark with podcasts, which is quite intriguing.
I would say that my love of podcasts may have some genetic ties, as my dad is not a big reader and generally only listens to the radio or watches historical documentaries. He travels for work and often while in the car he listens to The Howard Stern Show, which really was the podcast before there were podcasts. Howard and his cohost Robin talk for hours about news, trends, life-happenings which is similar to the podcasts that I listen to. For many people, there is comfort in having virtual “friends” to share your thoughts with.
Because of this mind-voice connection, I do think podcasts are one of things that got me through the lock-down era of the pandemic. It was nice to hear new perspectives on the news while also taking my mind off of the current state. During this time, many celebrities started podcasting because that was all they could do, which gave fans comfort and connection. In many ways, I feel that podcasts make the listeners feel as though many of these celebrity hosts are more real than perceived in the media.
Recently in podcasting, there has also been a huge trend of workplaces and universities creating podcasts. I mean just look at PSU and you will find tons of podcasts connected to our sports, business programs, news, and much more. This entertainment phenomenon is something that is not going away anytime soon because it has existed for decades, just in a slightly different radio form. The power of listening to others has so much impact, and I’m glad I was able to find who to listen to.
References
https://officeladies.com/
https://www.voices.com/blog/history-of-podcasts/
https://www.siriusxm.com/channels/howard-100