Once upon a time, there were limits to how you could waste your “one precious life” (Mary Oliver). It mostly involved time spent at community gatherings and in conversation. Less enjoyable in the winter months, especially pre-car. Luckily, there was radio. People could sit together and listen to the news, music, and serial entertainment.

Together was still part of the entertainment equation.

Then came television and more choices. Will you spend your one, precious life on “must-see TV,” or on Monday Night Football? Still, you were limited by the channels on the dial. Progress and cable fixed that: suddenly channels seemed near-infinite. We started watching multiple TVs because we couldn’t agree on what should be on.

It was less time together and more time adjacent.

And then came social media and the splediferousness of isolation, with ever more choices when it comes to how we spend our time. Quality started to suffer, however; how could it not? Twenty-four-seven choice for eight billion people takes a lot of programming – something’s got to give.

Not that we demand quality – we consume content in such small chunks these days that we barely notice its lack. And who has time to complain? By the time you finish checking your FB, WordPress, Twitter, Instagram, back to Twitter, TikTok, and email, much of the day is done. Honestly, I’m surprised we accomplish anything anymore.

Perhaps that’s why I was slow to adopt the podcast. It felt like one more thing on a schedule that feels weirdly fit to burst though I don’t know that I do that much, productively speaking.

And yet, podcasts when I finally stopped in, seem perhaps to be part of the solution. They don’t replace the community that’s been lost to socials, but they do slow consumers down. They’re not short. They’re not soundbites. They’re (mostly) not easy. They require attention, thought, and contemplation, qualities I’m not sure socials ever had links to interesting articles notwithstanding.

There are podcasts that replace content with tribalism, but that’s true no matter the method of delivery. They’re vastly outnumbered by other types, however.

It’s a big, bad podcast world out there – who to choose, who to choose. It’s not as easy as scanning the radio dial. It requires marginally more work. Thank goodness for cross-platform promotion.

I follow eight podcasts. I don’t listen to them all the time, nor do I experience the fear of missing out that accompanies social media and drives us to check in frequently under the guise of “being informed.” I listen to them in the bath – they’re mostly bath length – or when I’m doing a prolonged period of waiting and have space to pay attention. They’re well-suited to a long drive though I suggest downloading rather than streaming. Nicer on the wallet.

I picked the blogs I follow because I wanted to. It’s that simple and that complex since our choice tell others much about who we are.

I try to stay eclectic in my consumption and that’s true across all platforms as well. There’s not much growth in an echo chamber.

In no particular order:

• High Low with EmRata – “I’m interested in marrying everything high and low-brow by talking about pop culture and happenings that may seem frivolous in a way that raises big questions. On this podcast, I’ll be talking about everything from politics, philosophy, and feminism to sex, TikTok, and relationships.“
• We Can Do Hard Things – “Drop the fake and talk honestly about the hard things including sex, gender, parenting, blended families, bodies, anxiety, addiction, justice, boundaries, fun, quitting, overwhelm . . . all of it.”
• Mental Makeover Radio – “explores and answers listener’s questions about mental health, conflicts, relationships, intimacy challenges, stress management, sex and sexuality, and much more.”
• Freakonomics Radio – “Freakonomics co-author Stephen J. Dubner uncovers the hidden side of everything. Why is it safer to fly in an airplane than drive a car? How do we decide whom to marry? Why is the media so full of bad news?”
• Revisionist History – “Every episode re-examines something from the past—an event, a person, an idea, even a song—and asks whether we got it right the first time.”
• BC Humanists’ Podcast – “We are building a community based on reason and compassion in BC through education, outreach, support, and advocacy.”

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