When was the last time a piece of
media really changed your life? When was the last time you heard a story that
changed how you looked at things? Was that last movie you paid for worth that
$12-$20? Did it change your perspective on anything? Has Kim Kardashian ever taught you
something over the course of her hour long (42 minute?) show that you took into
real life and changed your day to day actions or ideas?
Podcasts have been a part of my life for a few years now (and a few
before that When I didn't really understand what podcasts were) and over that time
I've ingested a lot of useless information. Anyone who thinks every episode of
the Joe Rogan Experience is must-hear for all people may just as well be
watching Keeping Up With The Kardashians. Well... Maybe it's not that bad, but
it's still a type of fanaticism that would push you to listen to every one of
his releases. If I did that I would barely have time for any other podcasts.
Certainly not any of the other long-form style podcasts I also listen to. You
(and by that I mean, "I") have to look at who the episode is with and
maybe listen to the first 10-20 minutes to see if it's going in a direction
you'd (I'd) find entertaining/informational/whatever you're (I'm) looking for
and make an executive decision as to whether or not you want to push through.
For instance, I just stopped an episode of the Joe Rogan Experience with Christopher Ryan after about an hour. Don't get me wrong, I love them both and
I especially like when they are together with Duncan Trussell, but I don't have
time in my life to listen to Christopher Ryan for 3 hours once or twice a
month. That's over a day of my listening life in a year that would go into
hearing Joe Rogan and Christopher Ryan bullshitting. Yes, every once in a while
they have profound things to talk about but they're fewer and farther in
between as time goes on and there is an endless sea of amazing podcasts out
there that I want find.
Wow, I spent two paragraphs explaining what I didn't want to talk about.
None of this was meant to say that Kim and the rest of the Kardashians is
useless (though it is what I believe) or that Joe Rogan and Christopher Ryan
don't add anything to my life (far from it). What I want to say here, is that
some podcasts can change your life. The right person interviewing the right
people about the right subject at the right time can change the way people
think. Don't believe me? Go listen to The Joe Rogan Experience #670 - Michael A. Wood, Jr. Michael is a retired Baltimore police officer (among other things)
and gives his very unique perspective on how the police are part of a system
that systematically puts minorities in prison. If you listen to that and don't
come out with a very different perspective on the prison system than this is
not the blog for you. It's an example of the type of podcast I search for.
Now on to my main point. Do you remember my post a few weeks ago about the podcast Serial? If not check it out but for those who don't bother clicking
that link the main idea of the podcast is that the interviewer, Sarah Koenig,
is delving deep into the murder of Hae Min Lee whose boyfriend Adnan Syed has
been in prison for for over a decade. Sarah interviews Adnan, friends of his and Hae's from that time as well as professional investigators and more. The
series became immediately one of the most referenced and popular ones out there
and for good reason! This real life scenario became an amazing audio drama not
just for the characters in the case but for how Sarah Koenig is literally
pulled in a million directions as the series went on. You know the type of
podcast I told you I search for? Well, every episode of Serial was one of
these.
I lied. Now onto my point. Check out this article HERE. Normally there's
no way I'd ever send you over to Entertainment Weekly unless it was to laugh at
how laughable it is but it's worth it. Come back when you're done reading. … … .. .
That's right, Adnan is getting a hearing. Turns out that people involved in the
case got to hear all the other sides of the story and have spotted multiple discrepancies. Which means, that early next year a judge will hear Adnan's plea
to get a new trial.
Bam. Proof that podcasts can change the world. I already knew that from
the way my thoughts and perception have been altered by listening to
fascinating conversations but to see it applied to the real world is a whole
'nother ball game. It made me look at podcasts differently. As if podcasts are more of a tool of social change...
Follow me here! The internet revolutionized the way we communicate with
one another. It replaced the old world centralized communications in less than
10 years. Next came the Facebook which changed the way we "socialize"
digitally as well as curating what information comes to us rather than we hunt
it down. Next was Twitter which put the ability share
thoughts/images/situations from any person to literally any other person in the
world instantly. Now the big thing is Periscope which lets us broadcast our
experiences in real time to anyone who bothers to watch. All of these things
are tools for society. Facebook to reorganize our more "local" groups
of friends as well as communities, Twitter to make anyone on the planet
available to you and Periscope to make any injustice (or asshole) visible to
the whole world (among other uses I'm sure...).
What if podcasts are the next step? I know podcasts aren't exactly new
tech but what if we're using it wrong? What if it is another tool we can use
for social change? What if we're already using them in that way naturally?
Well I know I am. I believe podcasts are the starting of a new way to
learn. Instead of waiting to get to high school to learn about astrophysics kids
can just listen to StarTalk Radio with Neil deGrasse Tyson. Want to know more about insects? Find an insect podcast. I
enjoy etymology so I listen to The Allusionist. Every time I find a new interest I seek podcasts about that subject. Even if I don't find a whole
podcast series dedicated to it there's always at least one podisode somewhere
with an expert on the topic, even if I have to search weeks to find it.
Anyway, I just wanted to share the update with Adnan because a possibly
innocent man may get a second chance at freedom. And it's all because of the
amazing creators over at the Serial Podcast. Bravo to the people behind the
podcast and good luck Adnan. I'll be patiently awaiting the next season to see
how your prep goes.
PS I will be posting the best podcast of the first half of November soon. A lot of good looking episodes came out in the past few days and I want to be fair. Check back around Monday. Until then let me know what your thoughts are on the Adnan hearing, or about Serial, or even about podcasts in general below! You could also go
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