Finding a millennial without a pair of headphones plugged in can be like finding a needle in a haystack.
This day and age, there is a constant need to be listening to the latest album, sporting event, news report, or viral video. Young people find themselves completing mundane tasks such as folding laundry or walking to class while staying “tuned in” to their interests. While the phenomena of podcasts began roughly during the early to mid-2000s, the medium really took off in the past three to five years. Investigative journalism shows like Serial grabbed hold of audiences’ attentions in 2014 with compelling weekly episodes documenting an unsolved crime. Since then, a proliferation of podcasts has taken shape. Roughly 24% of Americans listen to these types of shows monthly, and that number continues to rise.
If you find yourself unsure of where to begin on your podcast journey, check out the suggestions below. Happy listening!
1. Pod Save America
Feeling frustrated or overwhelmed (or both) by the current political climate? Former staffers for Barack Obama, including Jon Favreau, Tommy Vietor, Jon Lovett, and Dan Pfeiffer, debuted Pod Save America in January 2017 as a response to the election of Donald Trump and as a space for progressive politics to converge. The show discusses the latest in politics without being overly dry, and the youthful energy and hopefulness shared by the hosts is inspiring to anyone who finds themselves disillusioned.
2. 2 Dope Queens
Hosted by the endlessly entertaining Phoebe Robinson and Jessica Williams, 2 Dope Queens is the podcast every millennial woman should be following. Taped live at Union Hall in Brooklyn, episodes feature quips between the duo as well as guest comedians who perform sets on everything from gender to race to feminism. Of the show’s success, Williams has commented, “The popularity of 2 Dope Queens just showed there was like a hunger for new stories because we have alternative comics on our show that wouldn’t normally be featured on, like, a white guy’s comedy show. We like to have a lot of women and women of color. We like to have people of different sexual orientations…The old stories are boring.”
3. Sooo Many White Guys
A spinoff of sorts from 2 Dope Queens, Robinson’s show is primarily a response to white-male-dominated media. Her guests include women, people of color, and members of the LGBTQ community who work in music, entertainment, and comedy. With the exception of a few “token white guys” (a.k.a. Chris Hayes and Tom Hanks, for example), the show embraces a diversity of stories and experiences combined with Robinson’s signature playful humor.
4. Stuff Mom Never Told You
Emilie Aries and Bridget Todd co-host this twice-weekly podcast that dives into the world of modern womanhood. Combined with research and a breakdown of what it all means, the show couples such information with “smart, strategic solutions to further women’s lives, careers, and activism.”
5. Revisionist History
For a more cerebral listen, Malcolm Gladwell’s Revisionist History is not one to miss. With 10 weekly episodes per season, the show “will go back and reinterpret something from the past: an event, a person, an idea. Something overlooked. Something misunderstood.” From rock ‘n roll to systems of higher education, Gladwell expertly dives into each subject while also maintaining an accessibility for his audience. Listeners often walk away from each episode more reflective of the world around them than when they first tuned in.