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I'm Against Podcasts

washingtonpost.com

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Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#151

Post by rgrieselhuber »

mistermann wrote: post #139
rgrieselhuber wrote: post #132

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exactly. The same goes for news and political commentary. We are in a golden age of media creation and we have the tools to seek out the truth in many areas and spread the messages we think are worthy of spreading. Whether an audience exists is up to the savvy of the podcast maker themselves. It is not uncommon to see independent YouTube streamers on a laptop with live audiences that put corporate media to shame.

Totally agree, I find it fascinating to compare how the media tells us things are in other countries and cultures vs how YouTubers show us they are.

Great way to put it.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#152

Post by thebigspacefuck »

>With all of the world’s unheard songs beckoning us with their endless mystery, why would anyone choose to waste their precious listening hours on a podcast?

Yoy could replace podcast with pretty much anything. I don't like listening to music all of the time or doing any one thing all of the time for that matter. I get bored and I just don't enjoy it as much anymore. And really, I love music. I used to want a job like Radio DJ where I could listen to music all day and I love coding because I mostly get to do that. But, I don't want to listen to all the music ever created because a lot of it just isn't for me and the mystery stops feeling endless after a while. My listening hours aren't precious to me if I listen on the commute, 8+ hours at work, and at home when I'm doing chores. Every single day. I wish those hours were more precious sometimes. I'd love for music to feel as meaningful to me as it did when I was a teenager when I only had a few CDs and new music was a big purchase or something given to me by a friend. But now it's like I'm drowning in too many options and I'm just shuffling through different playlists trying to find something that sounds interesting. So I listen to Audiobooks or Podcasts or just my own head radio if I can. It's not wasted time at all because it helps me enjoy music more in the long run.

This really is a terrible article and it seems like an immature opinion to have. I'm surprised to see it in the Washington Post.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#153

Post by PorterDuff »

I like the idea of podcasts because of the amateur angle, not so much since it's basically just another version of talk radio. I don't doubt there is some loss in social contact if you use a recording to fill-in for conversation, but there's something a little off-putting about music too.

It worries me sometimes that (given my age) 'More Than a Feeling' or 'Hold On Loosely' are so etched into my brain...and I'm a jazz listener/musician. Why is that? They live next to old commercial jingles and show the amount of programming that can go on in the 'independent' mind.

To finish up my old man rant, it's funny how modern people need constant noise and a steady supply of sweet beverages to avoid unease. Maybe there's a book here on the curative value of quiet walks and drinking plain water, it wouldn't be very long though.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#154

Post by 8bithero »

jswizzy wrote: post #68
chris_wot wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

He's outraged because he can be. Personally, I think it would be better to be against pointless written opinion pieces.

Is he though or is this an attempt to discredit a competitor? This guy is a journalism in a era when newspapers and other forms of tradition media are dying. Journalism is seen as a joke, partisan, propaganda, and even an enemy of the State by large swatches of the public.

Lol and articles like these are exactly the reason why people feel this way

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#155

Post by coldtea »

nickelcitymario wrote: post #96

This article is fantastic, because it lays out exactly why I love podcasts. Podcasts are to audio what punk rock was to music: freedom to be an amateur. Was punk for everyone? Nope. Were punks particularly talented? Some were, but mostly nope. Yet punk became one of the most influential genres of music of all time because it gave you permission to suck. It's like what's been said about the Velvet Underground: They ne…

>I couldn't be happier to see the elites complaining about podcasts.

Especially when the elite's journalistic production (e.g. WP articles) are not really higher quality: just follow some long established conventions, are self-congratulatory, follow the norms of polite talk, try to not ask the "wrong" (elite-wise) questions, put into use all the BS they've learned on "essay/creative writing" class, etc, which is why they pass for "serious" by people conditioned to seek those traits.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#156

Post by artimaeis »

Darkstryder wrote: post #136

I hate podcasts too. Or to put it more lightly, at the very least they are completely alien to me. In my opinion the elephant in the room when talking about informational podcasts or video is... text. As a medium, text is just so much more efficient (at least for me) that I can't begin to imagine why one would want to listen to a piece of content instead of reading it. I scan-read 20 articles faster than I could hear…

I adore podcasts, they're some of my favorite bits of media in my life.

I also love text, and whole-heartedly agree that for an exchange of information there's nothing that comes close to well-written text. My RSS feed is a cornerstone of my general knowledge of the subjects I'm interested in.

I find the advantage of podcasts is in finding personalities I enjoy discussing those subjects I'm interested in. When I listen to something like ATP I probably already know the facts that the hosts discuss, but I'm interested in hearing their thoughts on the matter, and just as importantly I'm interested in hearing their interchange. The way someone unexpectedly feels about something which can spark a whole new branch of discussion.

The side advantage of the format is that I can do it without letting it distract me too much (such as while commuting) -- so I have this span of time where I cannot read, and maybe I'm not in the mood for music (which I actually get too distracted by).

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#157

Post by pwinnski »

jhbadger wrote: post #73
learc83 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always hated it when listeners called in on talk radio. They very rarely had anything insightful to day, and even if they did, they general weren't able to convey it clearly.

Yeah, the whole "Long time listener, first time caller" thing where they take like a minute before they get to their question, if indeed they actually have one. To be fair, I see this sort of thing in person fairly often in scientific seminars where somebody "asks a question" but spends time first complimenting the speaker on the seminar, and then spends a couple of minutes just making comments rather than actually a…

Long ago I listened to a once-popular talk show host whose name is something in the neighborhood of Tush Pinball. He pushed his callers to dispense with all of that "Long time listener, first time caller from the heartland hills of Indiana" stuff and just start the call by saying "Ditto." Easy and convenient, a really time saver, right? Except callers somewhat quickly started saying things like "Mega-dittoes from the heartland hills of Indiana..." and little, if any, time was actually saved.

P.S. I made up "the heartland hills of Indiana."

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#158

Post by Symmetry »

Darkstryder wrote: post #136

I hate podcasts too. Or to put it more lightly, at the very least they are completely alien to me. In my opinion the elephant in the room when talking about informational podcasts or video is... text. As a medium, text is just so much more efficient (at least for me) that I can't begin to imagine why one would want to listen to a piece of content instead of reading it. I scan-read 20 articles faster than I could hear…

Do you spend parts of you day where you're able to listen to audio but not read text? For instance while commuting to work, while exercising, while using your hands in a project that requires only a bit of concentration? I'm a big fan of podcasts in those cases but I would never listen to one when I'm able to read text from a book or screen.

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#159

Post by Darkstryder »

wlesieutre wrote: post #146
Darkstryder wrote: post #136

I hate podcasts too. Or to put it more lightly, at the very least they are completely alien to me. In my opinion the elephant in the room when talking about informational podcasts or video is... text. As a medium, text is just so much more efficient (at least for me) that I can't begin to imagine why one would want to listen to a piece of content instead of reading it. I scan-read 20 articles faster than I could hear…

Can you read 20 articles while driving a car or walking to the store or cleaning your house? I find they're a great way to double-up with activities where I'd otherwise be bored out of my mind, and I can take the opportunity to learn about something, or at the very least not be bored. TV might be more entertaining, but I've never heard anyone argue "Why would you sit down and watch the new Game of Thrones episode, yo…

I do these kind of activities, but mostly divided in 5 to 15mn chunks. (Notably, my commute to work is a mere 10mn walk and I have a toddler child at home requiring frequent attention)

I would have trouble dividing a 40mn podcast into five listens divided over 3 days.

For those kind of double-up, I find listening music vastly more enjoyable, but that's just my opinion. Lately I actually prefer not doubling-up and just listen to the silence and letting my mind wander. It feels good too !

Re: I'm Against Podcasts

#160

Post by philwelch »

glerk wrote: post #135

> With all of the world’s unheard songs beckoning us with their endless mystery, why would anyone choose to waste their precious listening hours on a podcast? A better question is why would anyone listen to podcasts when there are millions of audiobooks out there? Why spend any listening time on endless rambling and ads, when I could learn something worthwhile?

I’d rather read books with my eyes. I find it irrationally enraging to be read to when I can read a book myself.
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