Search, Click, Listen: Today’s Top Binge-worthy Podcasts

What if you could get smarter while cleaning your room, or commuting, or washing your car? The answer: Podcasts.

As the world witnesses the rapid development of tech and emerging platform innovations while simultaneously being hit with a constant stream of (mis)information, we inadvertently and almost habitually update, agree, acknowledge and follow suit without question. This congestion has its pros and cons, and often makes it tough to remind ourselves of the importance of staying in-the-know about topics we actually care about and giving our mind a healthy workout. While there is no shortage of new podcasts, there are the few that continue to offer digestible, authentic, and stimulating content to attract a global audience.

The success of podcasts can largely be attributed to the rise of online broadcasting and broadcasters’ ability to relay information in a snackable, storytelling format. Plus, let’s be real, humanity’s interest in reading a tangible piece of information is dismally dropping. This shift from physical to audible has given new rise to the Podcast. But with so many new ‘casts out there, how do we even begin to sort and sift through the “best” ones?

Among the various genres—society & culture, news, politics, music, and more—the collection is vast. This week we want to highlight five stand out Podcasts that challenge the status quo, state the facts, inform for the future and offer a framework for your own intellectual interpretation and takeaways.

We say thank you to all the Podcasters out there who are helping educate in a new way!

Still Processing

Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham, two New York Times culture writers, come together to bring listeners the latest in society and culture and our obsession with everything TV, film, music, art, and the internet. They hold nothing back, laying out every emotion on the table for listeners, offering a raw, intimate perspective into their inner thoughts. This relatively new Podcast delves into our understanding of the pleasures, pathologies, and pressures of America in 2018 and we dig it.  

Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness

“Such great diversity of topics with interesting experts. JVN helps it feel as it I’m having a conversation with friends rather than listening to a lecture.” Netflix’s “Queer Eye” Fab Five member Jonathan Van Ness has become a Podcast extraordinaire of sorts, mastering the art of wit, charm, and being real. Fusing humor with intellect by featuring a new expert in their respective field each week, JVN and his guest get curious about everything and anything, from what it’s like to be a woman in the military, the opioid crisis, how LA became a driving dependent city, artificial intelligence and so much more. If you’re looking for a Podcast that’s easy to follow and educational with a hint of humor, this is a must-listen. 5 out of 5.   

NPR

National Public Radio or NPR takes the cake for variety and organization. Arguably one of the most well known broadcast news sources, NPR does a phenomenal job of categorizing various topics and themes into Podcast specific buckets; for example, Planet Money, TED Radio Hour, Hidden Brain, and Story Corps, just to name a few. If you’re looking for political updates or a daily dose of pop culture, they’ve got it covered and then some. This streamlined approach has worked well for them, allowing listeners to quickly and efficiently find what they are looking for, and that alone is a game changer. And of course, lest we not forget to mention that their content checks off all the boxes: enriching, thought-provoking and down right informative.

Ear Hustle

Whoever said don’t judge a book by its cover, well we are judging this ‘cast by it’s name and we want to know more. “Ear Hustle,” brought to you by Radiotopia, takes listeners through interview-type chat sessions that cover true crime about San Quentin prison life made by the very prisoners that inhabit its cells. Co-founders Earlonne Woods and Antwan Williams, current inmates, and artist Nigel Poor prompt prisoners to share stories about everything from life inside solitary confinement to how conjugal visits actually work. With a rather lighthearted, intimate and at times comedic take on the lives of jailbirds, this Podcast rightfully and beautifully gives inmates a voice when so many are left voiceless. Episode to get hooked on: “The Boom Boom Room.”

American Innovations

From “The Lost Pioneers” to “The Stuff of Life,” this in-its-first-season Podcast is paving the way for uncovering the truths, myths and discoverings of the last century that we all want to know. “American Innovations” asks us, how did we get here and it wasn’t by accident… well sometimes it was. Hosted by bestselling author Steven Johnson, Johnson utilizes immersive scenes to tell the stories of both thought leaders and ordinaries who have made revolutionary discoveries in the fields of science, medicine, engineering, and tech. Take a journey through time and we promise you won’t be left disappointed.  

For even more podcasts, visit Time Magazine: http://time.com/5178078/best-podcasts-2018/