Have You Ever Listened to a Podcast?

The world of podcasts is very new and  intriguing to me. I am not one who sits down and watches TV often, so when I do I rely on visuals to help hold my attention and prevent me from refilling my popcorn bowl every five minutes. However, when listening to podcasts, I am not afforded that opportunity. This means I have to drop everything, shut the lights and close my eyes in order to really listen to what is being said and the story being told due to the lack of visual guides. This is not a terrible thing though, as the creators of most podcasts do not leave you in the dark (pun intended).

Podcasts such as Serial and 36 Questions offer audio guides instead. Through their strategic use of an array of sound bites, voices and audio clips, these podcasts essentially lay the foundation for the story and allow you to build upon the rest. Unlike most TV shows or movies, I have found that podcasts, for the most part, let you determine your own experience. You can pause, play, skip or research any part you want. This may cause your experience and perspective to differ from someone who may even be listening to the same podcast in the same room as you. I found Serial, especially, to excel in this category, as the creators have provided visual "listening guides" to watch, read or glimpse at during the course of the podcast. This allows for a multitude of different experiences for different viewers. What if one person neglects the listening guides? Or, someone utilizes all of them? Or even better, someone only looks at the map? The fact that the listening experience is my own hands is what draws me into podcasts such as Serial and 36 Questions.

What especially drew me into 36 Questions, however, is the same thing that confuses me about it; It's a musical. I am not really one for musicals because I get lost in the action happening on stage and forget to listen to the actual lyrics (you know, the things that happen to be telling the story). Anyway, in 36 Questions that struggle is eliminated, as I have no choice but to listen to the lyrics in order to formulate the actions that I think are happening in my mind. And, if I happen to like a song or it confuses me, I can easily re-listen to it without having to rewind the whole story. This is because the creators have compiled lists of individual songs from each act, providing links to buy or share the songs. I was hesitant to start listening to podcasts because I am such a visual person, but with available resources  such as listening guides, playlists and the ability to create my own experience, I have found myself re-listening to 36 Questions and searching for podcasts similar to Serial (suggestions are welcome).