It's a form of parasocial relationship. It can trigger the same feelings as if you were in a room with some friends chatting. You get to "know" the people's personalities, you can anticipate their reactions to things, you get invested in their personal relationships.
this is interactive though-- everyone can participate in the conversation. i guess you can talk to people in tiktoktube comments, but not with the people who are the focus of the entire "gathering." maybe podcasts are like watching sports on tv. meh, doesn't matter. enjoy what you enjoy
I list n to podcasts about science, space, farming, linguistics, and literature. They're actually rather interesting. I don't think I could do just random bullshit
I listen to a variety of podcasts for different moods, and I also use it like music. Sometimes I'm in a music mood, sometimes I decide I need to hear how terrible Kissinger really was, sometimes I want to hear Dan research and refute all the lies Alex Jones spouts (the last two come often with the benefit of learning the origin of bullshit being spouted by some internet personalities), and sometimes I want to hear 3-5 guys who I find funny discuss movies and/or Wikipedia articles. I also like listening to factual and historical podcasts that have more detailed researching.
Why listen when I could look up and read it? Well I do look up and read specific topics, but that takes my full attention. I have ADHD and my mind can wander without additional input if I'm doing something tedious. So I listen while driving, cooking, cleaning, working, and even gaming. Gaming isn't tedious per say, but sometimes you have bursts of that (farming items, repeatable dailies, etc). I pause when I really need to, but some games I also play for relaxation, and I can relax and listen to a funny podcast at the same time. If it's work or gaming where I need focus, music works better.
I actually really enjoy "stuff you should know" it's a podcast with 2 guys from the "how stuff works" network that explain everything from "how cranes work" to the "Tulsa race riots." They're good people that like to joke with each other so it's not just straight boring facts.
That said, they aren't experts and will sometimes read emails that correct things they got wrong lol
The only time they appeal to me is when the facehole flappers are genius comedians like Norm Macdonald or Tom Green. Tom was doing his own streaming live shows before Youtube existed and before most others had even realized it was possible.
I have one podcast I listen to like this because I know them personally, and it's like hanging out with them. I need to have a hook to listen.
I like Making It with Jimmy DiResta, David Piccutto, and Bob Clegatt (I like to make stuff on YT) because they're makers and youtubers. They do talk about random crap sometimes, but they also talk about making stuff and youtube and being middle aged with all those things in the mix.
I mean, it just comes down to entertainment ability. Some podcasts like Spitballers can talk about random stupid stuff and make it hilarious. Some podcasts just try that and…don't quite pull it off.
maybe... but back when I had time to actually listen to a few podcasts, I had no trouble finding better ones that did not devolve into this shitty format
Plenty of good podcasts, but they are either 100% scripted to stay on topic, or they have the good sense to edit down the improv tangential rambles so that the podcast stays on topic.
Unsurprisingly it tends to be older (35+) people with some kind of professional experience putting out the better stuff. The 20-something dudebro postcasts where they just wing it the whole time are awful.
40 minute podcast about [subjext] is 10 minutes of actual content, 30 minutes of riffing, going off on tangents, taking about their other podcasts, sponsors, talking about their next podcasts, talking about each other, their day, etc…
This is why I almost exclusively listen to podcasts that are scripted, like casefile, freakonomics, this American life, radio lab, wait wait don't tell me, etc.
Before this, all too often I would find myself listening to people aimlessly chatting about what they had for breakfast and such, and I realized those that scripted their episodes made for a tremendously better listening experience.
I think radiolab is largely unscripted and also they leave a lot in that other podcasts would edit out. Imo this all makes the show as good as it is. It feels more authentic to me than a show like freakonomics for example. It's more like hanging out with several people who are mostly really intelligent and who ask good questions of others who can often provide smart answers. I love radio lab so much.. just my two cents as to why it's that good.
Casefile is a slog. I think its fascinating but it will eat away at your soul after a while and the host knows it cause it's everything he can do to stay sane.
The others are top tier podcasts but once you've caught up, if you last that long, it's forever between releases.
I appreciate the HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast, which has scripted readings punctuated by the hosts talking about the story being read.
Two important factors that make it work: First, the hosts are knowledgeable and engaged with the topic, which means their commentary actually feels like it contributes something. Second, when they do start to ramble too long, the editing just hard cuts them off and goes back on topic.
I tried to listen to a Kubernetes podcast once, where they talk to engineers who created it. They just fucking ramble about sports and unrelated bullshit for about an hour and I never listened to another episode.
It's nice to be in a room with someone who knows their shit, and never actually talk about the shit they know about, and instead connect to them at a human level.
I've dropped so many podcasts where the title was promising an interesting topic, but then inside it's just these dudebros rambling about nothing. I don't understand how some of these podcasts have so much popularity.
I stopped listening to Second Wind's podcasts because of this. 1h45 on a topic I'm interested in? Amazing! Turns out half of it is the hosts catching up with each other and reading chat.
In the end, people just like hearing familiar voices. If you trick people into getting familiar with your voice, it doesn't matter what's being said as much as it seems.
I will typically drop several tracks on SoundCloud for a few months, pick the best ones, and then release an EP/Album with those good ones and a few originals.
SC makes it easy to post a track the same day and update or edit it, when I distribute through Spotify, Tidal, et al., it's more permanent so I make sure everything is PERFECT before uploading to there. I know you weren't asking for all this info but...yeah.
I've literally done this like 6 times with writing. I start writing something and after like 3 sentences I say "who the fuck do I think I am that anyone would give a shit about what I have to write!?" I've never gotten past one paragraph.
I don't know why comments feel different, it's probably because I use social media to just vent my frustrations and express just how much I loath who I am. Sorry for using Lemmy as my therapist! :P
Love yourself, The world's a hard, strange place. Keep your chin up. Don't hate yourself for what you were born into.
When I was in my early 20s, I read this poem And it stuck with me .
Desiderata - Words for Life
Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.
Love yourself, The world’s a hard, strange place. Keep your chin up. Don’t hate yourself for what you were born into.
It's really odd to say, but this is the absolute most difficult thing in the world for me to do. Every single day I am confronted with example after example of my own ineptitude. They say not to compare yourself to others but then you can't ever push past your shortcomings because you won't recognize them. Unfortunately I feel as if I have a rather large excess of shortcomings and an embarrassingly miniscule number of talents.
(This is where I'd more often than not do as the comment below mentions and just delete this comment, but I appreciate your response. I wanted to respond but I'm not really looking for an answer, I don't think there is one for me.)
Ahhh, when I use to write fanfic I thought the same way but came to the opposite conclusion.
I am writing for me, I want to write it and read it, and I'll throw this into the ocean of other fanfics and no longer care if anyone else wants to read it. If they do, it's there for them.
It's a good way to look at it, but I find it most difficult to do anything just for me. If I'm not doing something for someone else I don't care to be doing it at all. That is more than likely just due to my depression though.
Lol same. I think it's probably because commenting is more like normal conversation; you're responding to other people in ways that are specifically meaningful to the circumstances. Writing is sorta like talking to the void in my mind. I find I spend much more time thinking and checking and re-reading to make sure I'm appealing to my imagined audience, rather than just contributing a sentence or two to a conversation where the audience is a bit more concrete.
I forget the specifics and who came up with it, but: pick an amount you haven't written before. Then, write that much without looking back. If you can set your word processor to only keep your current line visible, even better. Once you've written that many paragraphs or pages, do a fast edit. Use a timer so you can't linger. Then write that much again with the same strategy. After 3-5 times, do a more thorough edit of the whole thing.
It's not necessarily how you always want to write, but it can help getting over that initial confidence block as an exercise.
It's so hard. I swear I try writing lyrics for songs. And the entire time I'm just like "God, I'm so bad at this. Nobody will like any of this" then I move on to a new song. Rinse and repeat.
Stop Podcasting Yourself's name is literally a commentary on these exact type of podcasts. SPY is wildly popular and has entire reoccurring segment called, "overheards" where they talk about things they overheard.
If that is trash taste, trash is whats for dinner.
Everyone starts out with shortcomings. No one is born with talent. Learning something you want to do is easier than ever with YouTube and the internet.