David Boesche discovered podcasts during the spring semester of his second year of college.
Boesche, a senior studying communications and philosophy, keeps up-to-date with a few different podcasts: a neuroscience, philosophy and politics show, “Waking Up with Sam Harris” and the “Joe Rogan Experience,” which interviews people from MMA, Fear Factor and other voices not normally heard in media.
Podcasts are a medium often used by millennials because of their ability to be streamed whenever and the broad selection of content.
Boesche said he mainly listens to them on his computer while cooking breakfast or drawing in the morning. He said podcasts are more suitable for busy people because people can listen to them anywhere.
“It becomes a way to learn something while doing another task,” he said.
Podcasts are streamable audio files that, made consistently, form a show people can listen to on computers or smartphones. The term “podcast” was created in 2004 as a combination of the words “iPod” and “broadcast.”
Kyle Driscoll, a senior studying history, said he enjoys listening to podcasts because he can learn new information without the stress of being in a classroom setting.
He said he listens to several podcasts that discuss history and paranormal topics. His favorites are Mike Duncan’s “Revolutions,” the “History of the Byzantium,” “Astonishing Legends” and “LORE.”
“They are largely informative podcast(s) depicting events or topics in an informal lecture style centered around a running historical narrative or a supernatural topic of the week,” he said in an email.
Allison Epperson, a junior studying theater, said she has listened to both seasons of “Serial” and “S-Town,” which deal with investigative journalism. Epperson appreciates the series because it highlights the major issues with the criminal justice system in this country, she added.
“They explore the human condition and question why we see things the way we do,” she said in an email.
Lucas Hakes-Rodriguez, a recent OU alumnus, said he listens to a few odd podcasts that cater to niche groups. He goes to the “Beef and Dairy Network Podcast” for recommendations about his grocery needs.
“I trust the (Beef) and Dairy Network with my life, so naturally, the podcast was an extension of that trust,” he said.
Boesche suggested that localized podcasts could create a following more easily than national podcasts. A close friend of his created Air Over Athens, a 10-part series about people in Athens. Each episode goes into depth about a local person who has interesting work.
“It’s good for people in the community to learn about the people around them,” he said.
Podcasts usually have a longer runtime of over an hour to accommodate certain activities such as driving, exercising, cleaning and working.
Driscoll said he makes time for podcasts during his third-shift job because listening to the hosts talk isn’t as distracting as music and he can “passively absorb” the words.
“They stave off the horror of being alone for 45 minutes to an hour of driving,” Hakes-Rodriguez said.
