If you love the Internet and all its weird glory you will love Reply All.
Reply All is a podcast, produced by Gimlet, that explores all the nooks and crannies of the Internet and the technology industry.
The show is centered on the Internet. Each episode explores a different topic, story or oddity that is found online or somehow connected to the technology field. They talk about everything from memes to robocalls.
I love to reply because I always walk away having learned something new, but also almost always laughing – plus, sometimes they just do really good reporting.
It’s not your average boring tech section, with boring jargon and techy stuff you can’t understand. The show is designed for everyday people and how they actually interact with the technology that has grown to be such an important part of our lives.
Here are my top three episodes you should listen to when starting Reply All:
#102 Long Distance Parts 1 and 2
This is an all-time favorite episode. In this episode, one of the hosts, Alex Goldman explores one of the worst things that came with the rise of technology: scam calls. In this two-part episode, he gets a scam call, but instead of letting it go, he starts asking questions. If you appreciate good reporting, you will love this episode. He won’t give up until he gets to the bottom of this telemarketing scam. He goes so far, to even find himself in India. It’s funny, it’s thorough and it answers some of your biggest questions about those scam calls.
#44 Shine on You Crazy Goldman
This episode isn’t like most of the other episodes. The story is about this website called TripSit. It’s designed to be a forum and place for people experiencing bad trips while on drugs to come and others can comfort or talk them through their trip. Then the episode takes an interesting turn. Instead of focusing on the website, the other host, PJ Vogt, starts exploring drugs. He talks to people who use drugs regularly and people who never done anything at all, he gets their insight. Then he decides it’s time for him to give it a try…
#77 The Grand Tapestry of Pepe
If you like memes you will LOVE this segment on the show. “Yes, Yes, No” is a segment in which the hosts’ older boss brings them a Tweet that he doesn’t understand (often a meme) and then they break down the Tweet and all the background for him. This is one of my favorite episodes of “Yes, Yes, No” because it’s so funny to listen to these men explain what Pepe the Frog – or better yet, who– Pepe the Frog is, and honestly they knew more about it than me. They dive deep into his history, origin and meaning. It was so interesting to learn about where it came from and how it’s evolved.
Get to know the tech world a bit better with a listen to Reply All; you might see it in a whole new light.