From current events to true crime to self-care, podcasts have a wide range of topics that many can enjoy. Podcasts are online audio blogs where people discuss certain topics, Broadcasting Teacher Dr. Daniel “Doc” Oswald explained. Typically, podcasts release an episode once every few weeks that can be listened to on platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music, he added.

With new technology, it is easy to start a podcast, Oswald explained. 

“We’re in the golden age of podcasting,” Oswald said. “Anybody with a computer, a microphone, and a small mixing board can create a podcast.”

Over the past few years, more people, including celebrities and influencers, have started their own podcasts, junior Elizabeth Segel explained. She started her own podcast, The Segel Spiel, in part because of celebrities, and in part because of her overall love for talking.

“[I started my podcast during] spring break last year,” Segel said. “I like to express my opinions and talk about a really broad spectrum of things.”

Every few weeks, Segel releases an episode of her podcast to over 1,000 of her listeners on Spotify.

“I’ve always been really social [and] outgoing,” Segel said. “By making a podcast, I could put [my] communication skills to good use. Using your voice and [having] a way with words is a gift that shouldn’t be wasted.”

While fun to create, podcasts can also be very entertaining and helpful for listeners like senior Julie Antonoglu. 

“When I’m anxious, I like [to take] a bubble bath and turn on a podcast,” Antonoglu said. “It gets my mind off of things, [and] it makes me feel comforted knowing that I’m not alone.”

Out of all the podcasts she listens to, Antonoglu’s favorite is Anything Goes by Emma Chamberlain. The podcast provides comfort for her with new ideas and standpoints from Chamberlain. 

“[In] her podcast, [Chamberlain] talks about every day [experiences],’’ Antonoglu said. “People send her topics and she talks about her point of view. Hearing a different perspective on something that I’m feeling [or] thinking about is really interesting.”

Throughout the past few years more podcasts have emerged and gained popularity, according to Edison Research, who stated that in 2021, 57 percent of Americans had listened to a podcast before, and by 2022, that number rose to 62 percent, a number that is predicted to continue rising. With how easy it is to create a podcast, many like Segal have been inspired to do so and connect with their communities.

“A good podcast is very narrow, in that it’s not [like] a radio broadcast which has to serve a fairly broad audience,” Oswald said. “That’s the power of a podcast, you can use the language of one specific group and they’ll understand what you’re saying.”