Recently, after listening to the same playlist for what seemed like the 745th time, I made a decision to take a break from CDs and Spotify and switch to a new form of auditory entertainment: podcasts.
    For those of you who have listened to podcasts for eons, this isn’t for you. This is for those heathens out there who have not yet discovered the magic of listening to strangers chat for an hour every week about inane topics. This is for the unenlightened.
    But enough. Podcasts are nothing new — “audioblogging” has roots going back to the 1980s and caught hold with the masses back in 2004 — but most people seem to rely on music as their primary form of listening entertainment. All one needs to know about podcasts is that they are basically chats that can cover any number of topics and take any sort of tone. Anyone can do one, and I tend to think of them as a new form of radio, albeit one with far greater control.
   Unlike the radio, there are no limits to what can be said in a podcast. Food, religion, death, politics, sports, humor, obscure jokes about Pixar movies — there is a smorgasbord of topics up for consideration. Two podcasts I really love are “The Bugle” (with John Oliver, of  “The Daily Show”) and the “Cracked” podcast. The former deals with politics (hilariously), and the latter covers everything from pop culture to presidents (also hilariously).  I’m sure others have their own preferences, but I tend to like things that make me laugh.
    So podcasts are great. But why should anyone supplement their incredible Selena Gomez music collection with a podcast or two? Simply put, I believe podcasts are gearing up to be radio’s successor and will eventually find their way onto everyone’s iPhone.
   Podcasts encourage dialogue, thinking and debate. Not to mention they are a good venue for people attempting to explain their viewpoints or ideas. Unlike radio, podcasts are portable and can be paused — allowing for rewinds and second listens — and I believe they are a good way to communicate with groups and share ideas. In many ways, I believe listening to someone is a better way to process and form opinions about different viewpoints without forming biases (obviously there are exceptions) since as a listener, one can’t make snap judgments based on someone’s appearance. Not only that, but since podcasts are portable, one can listen while driving responsibly, since obviously one can’t watch videos or read articles while speeding down the highway. And if you happen to believe one can watch videos or read articles while operating any vehicle of any kind, remind me to never accept a ride from you.
      Easily accessible, full of information and transportable — podcasts are the future. Perhaps not everyone will convert immediately. Perhaps people won’t even convert in the next five to 10 years, but eventually they’ll take over. Every home will have a plethora of podcasts to choose from, popular podcasts will pop up in society and people will have thousands of priceless podcasts to pick up.