REMEMBER that sweet sense of fulfillment from knowing that your recommendation has created some sort of positive impact? Whether it’s from introducing friends to a book from which they got life-altering inspiration, or, say, to the best Thai resto they can’t get enough of—that feeling has no equal.
I’ve been getting that a lot recently from telling people to listen to podcasts.
Count me as one of the many commuters who plug in their earphones and zone off completely during trips. I simply see no reason in subjecting myself to the cacophony of angry rush-hour honking, high-pitched barker blabbering or nauseating jeepney beats if I have the option to listen to a playlist that actually make me feel good and relaxed.
For the longest time, I would hit play and then disappear. There’s “coffee-shop jazz” when I needed to stabilize my neurons, and Kanye West or Rage Against The Machines when I wanted to set them loose. Bob Marley lifted me up on sunny days, while Jack Johnson would hold me down when it rained. An artist for every mood, I thought.
But then things got vapid. I’d like to think of myself as a music fan with an extensive taste in songs, but there were some days when I felt like I could use a break from listening to the same stuff over and over, and over again. My ears wanted something new during the commute, something more refreshing and engaging. The search led me outside of music-streaming applications and into a native app on iOS, called “Podcasts”. I’ve certainly heard about the platform before, but nothing of interesting substance. Besides, I had difficulties sustaining my interest on monologues not delivered by Fallon, Kimmel or O’Brien. Just ask my math teacher.
Still, I ran the app. My interest got signed by its categories, which included sports, sealed by knowing it carried shows of my favorite National Basketball Association (NBA) media personalities, and delivered by the glorious fact that all of it was free.
One of my first listens was The Bill Simmons Podcast. The show is categorized under sport, but occasionally tackles pop culture. It was already on its 200 plus episode when I jumped in, and I got so hooked that I considered backtracking all the way to the first. It had that much entertainment value.
Simmons is the best. I’ve always admired him as a writer who consistently puts up pieces that are funny and insightful. It turns out that’s also how he hosts his pods. His guests are usually as sharp and their topics, fluid and arresting.
From that show, I added another two to my subscription list of NBA pods: The Starters and The Lowe Post. Then the list grew to three, then to five. When I realized it became too much, I looked for a palate cleanser. From sports, I jumped to the design category with 99-percent Invisible and the thought-provoking TED Talks Daily.
Listening to podcasts makes the grueling commute and long queues not only bearable, but also worthwhile. The shows—the good ones, at least—keep listeners focused, which, in turn, sharpen listening skills. More important, it allows for fresh ideas and valuable insights.
Over the past years, the platform has grown by leaps and bounds. According to a study released in March, titled “The Infinite Dial 2017”, the latest research around podcast consumption and the like conducted by Edison Research and Triton Digital, 6 in 10 Americans are now familiar with the term “podcasting”. That’s a 22-percent rise in two years.
“With 7 percent of Americans 12 plus now owning smart speakers, such as the Amazon Echo and Google Home products, this represents an extraordinary opportunity for increased consumption of internet radio in the home,” said John Rosso, president of Market Development at Triton Digital, as released on the Edison Research web site.
As mentioned earlier, I have introduced the platform to my friends, who have said “thank you [for introducing me to this platform]” at least twice.
We share the same reasons for loving podcasts. It’s a nice way to not only let otherwise frustrating times in traffic pass by, but enjoy it even, all the while gaining new knowledge.