Now, I know what you might be thinking — there is no way that I could prefer podcasts over music. However, that wasn’t always the case. When I was younger, I loved music, but as I grew older, I struggled to find a genre I liked. Since high school, I have only really listened to country and rap with my friends. When I am alone though, whether it be in the car or cleaning my room, I have always turned to podcasts. There are topics on just about anything you could imagine. On car rides to and from Amherst, I have found that they help me stay awake. Often, music makes me feel as though the ride is longer, as I am focused more on the length of the song rather than the song itself. With podcasts, I feel as though I am constantly engaged in the conversations they are having and the perspectives they are providing. I mainly switch through three categories: life, pop culture, and crime.
- Life
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Life podcasts often talk about individuals’ experiences. I feel as though I like to see how other people live and understand the differences in every person. Some of the podcasts I listen to when it comes to life would be “The Unplanned Podcast with Matt and Abby.” They discuss with each other and various individuals about waiting until marriage, struggles with infertility, and other factors about growing up as high school sweethearts. I also listen to a relatively new podcast called “A1 Unfiltered.” Julia and Saud are a couple I have watched for years on YouTube. They live in Massachusetts and discuss their lives growing up in different areas, as Julia is from Kentucky. Julia is pansexual and Saud is a transgender male. He talks about his experiences going through the process with Julia’s support by his side. The way in which all of these individuals live is something I find to be extremely interesting. Sometimes, you get caught up in your own bubble of life and forget to look around and see how different others’ lives may be.
- Pop Culture
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I also listen to pop culture podcasts to stay up to date on the latest drama going on in the social media world. The first podcast I listen to is the “BFFs” podcast. I’m sure many people have heard about it, as it is run by Barstool, a very popular company. Brianna and Josh co-host with Dave Portnoy; the owner of Barstool. Dave provides an older perspective on the pop culture going on today, while Brianna and Josh explain it from a perspective more relatable to a younger audience. I also listen to “Unhinged with Chris Klemens.” This podcast is more of a combination of life and pop culture. He talks about topics surrounding his life and what is going on in the world today, as well as current events in the social media world.
- Crime
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Finally, I listen to only one crime podcast, “True Crime.” I often listen to this during the daytime, as some of the stories are unsolved, and all are extremely terrifying. They discuss missing persons, murder, along with many other crimes. They do their research and recount the events as if it is a story you could picture in your head.
Overall, I understand the love for music; however, I have found that podcasts are constantly stimulating my brain and improving my knowledge across various topics. Sometimes, I think it would be great to have a playlist of music rather than having to wait a week for a new podcast. But for now, I continue to choose podcasts over music.
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