Really good point...and I wonder if it's less about the podcasts, and more about our lack of training to filter out when to act on opinion and when to accept opinion as merely thought and to leave it at that.
Finally you said it. Too many podcasts. Everyone jumping in on the podcast train.
...and this is why i work in podcasts...the eternal quest for my lowest common denominator...i don't know if it is good or bad that just this week i found out my cheese shop is starting a podcast, as well as my mailman, and i might start four myself about the various nothings dusting the corners of my attic (get ready for the knee high sock pod!)...appreciate the recs and think your purview is a solid survey on how to approach any information you consume...is it valuable or is it selling you something...one of my favorite approaches to the superbowl is to DJ over the commercials so that confused bar patrons can come up to me and say "Hey, I like to watch the ads" and i can tell them to do look in the mirror and say that again to themselves...i'm a slob, not a snob, but advertising is not entertainment...unfortunately though it is the main means an entertainer might make money...whoever was the first monkey to create an ad (Sir Jonny Advert i think was his name) needs their name to become a dirty curseword representing some filthy pig pegging legless mindless duck plugging twig snapping hot dog water...
...i don't know why this came to me like it did...but i just re-read the title of this piece and suddenly felt we might be blaming the product when the real problem is the salesman...anyhow an idea for a future piece...are morons making us stupider?...
Nothing specific about anything he said. Mainly was trying to point out all the conflicting advice and mere opinions hosts and guests share that could be mistaken for truth by the listeners who likely wont do any fact checking after they hear something.
Great article! You made a really compelling argument that I have thought about before as well. Your example of Eric Weinstein talking about modern men and women is fantastic😂😂. I’d like to say though, end of the day, it’s all opinions. It’s interesting to hear the perspective of a joint fund manager and a math PhD holder on modern women and men dynamics. That being said, I’ve heard too many times people spewing what they’ve heard on a podcast and never verifying said information.
Glad you enjoyed it Malik. That's true, it is all opinions even if they're coming from an "expert".
Yep, that's where things get dangerous. If something is said with enough conviction by a powerful figure too many of us automatically accept it as absolute truth.
Great piece! The problem persists on TV and sometimes in writing especially in economics and social issue discussions, where many individuals feel that because it is not a 'hard' science, anything that sounds reasonable goes. The truth is that even if we're not a 'hard' science, there's already enough findings out there that many questions have a pretty clear outline of what is actually reasonable.
Thank you! Yes TV is just as bad if not worse than podcasts.
I have no problem with people sharing their opinions, and they could often be right. But if we automatically accept it as truth then things can get messy.
Valuable points. I think the problems start as soon as we take what's being said as gospel truth, rather than just two people riffing. Taken lightly, then yeah, I want to hear what Weinstein has to say about women, cos he's smarter than me and a generally interesting guy. Doesn't mean I'm going to hang on his every word.
Part of the issue with podcasts, as I see it, is the conviviality that's baked into the guest/host format, which makes it difficult for ideas to truly clash. Usually, host & guest might press the other party for clarity but will ultimately pull their punches. I'd like to see more challenging podcasts, where beliefs are genuinely grilled, on neutral territory.
Thank you Theo. Yes I totally agree. Just because someone is an expert in one field doesn't make everything they say correct or even accurate.
That's a good point. Especially when the conversations are in person. There's a natural tendency to agree no matter what is being said.
I would like to see that too - podcasts where its been decided up front that the host and guest definitely won't agree on everything. Could lead to much more interesting discussions.
There's a YouTube channel – can't remember the name but it's US based – where they put a bunch of people in a room with different viewpoints and let them thrash it out. Can be quite interesting, but it's edited. I wish they'd show the whole conversations! (And I'd like to see it being done in the UK / Europe. Maybe it exists somewhere but I haven't seen it. Maybe worth starting...!)
Tim Ferriss did an episode once with 3 or 4 people who had a civil conversation about all kinds of cool topics where they all respectfully disagreed with each other. Wish there was more of those.
Great post! So many good points. I can come at this from both sides because I've done several podcasts through the years and listen to other shows regularly. As a producer, I found that I was doing one for the sake of doing one way too often - this is no good. Getting into the "commenting on the news of day" cycle is not a great long term approach in my view.
As a listener, it's nearly impossible to keep up with the shows that produce daily. I generally find that I like hyper-focused programs that release sporadically and that (to your point) don't inundate me with ads. I'm patiently waiting for a new episode of Jesse Felder's "Superinvestors and the Art of Worldly Wisdom" (been months since a new one)
Thank you Mike. Yep then you can speak to this better than anyone since you've been there.
It's almost impossible for daily, or even weekly shows to keep delivering the goods every single time. That leaves too much potential for spewing half baked hot takes.
And it's so much more exciting to get a notification from a pod that doesn't post as often because you know it's gonna be a banger.
Really good point...and I wonder if it's less about the podcasts, and more about our lack of training to filter out when to act on opinion and when to accept opinion as merely thought and to leave it at that.
Finally you said it. Too many podcasts. Everyone jumping in on the podcast train.
Thank you Renee. I think its so easy for us to automatically accept what someone says if they say it with enough conviction. I know I do.
I've had a couple people ask me if I'd ever do a podcast which tempts me a little. But then it would distract me from what I truly enjoy -- writing.
...and this is why i work in podcasts...the eternal quest for my lowest common denominator...i don't know if it is good or bad that just this week i found out my cheese shop is starting a podcast, as well as my mailman, and i might start four myself about the various nothings dusting the corners of my attic (get ready for the knee high sock pod!)...appreciate the recs and think your purview is a solid survey on how to approach any information you consume...is it valuable or is it selling you something...one of my favorite approaches to the superbowl is to DJ over the commercials so that confused bar patrons can come up to me and say "Hey, I like to watch the ads" and i can tell them to do look in the mirror and say that again to themselves...i'm a slob, not a snob, but advertising is not entertainment...unfortunately though it is the main means an entertainer might make money...whoever was the first monkey to create an ad (Sir Jonny Advert i think was his name) needs their name to become a dirty curseword representing some filthy pig pegging legless mindless duck plugging twig snapping hot dog water...
please let me know when you start these so i can subscribe to them all!
advertising definitely needs to become a curse word and the spelling should be changed to adver******
...that is such a great $#%#ing idea...alternatively $%#^vertising works awesome also...
yours is better. my mind filled in the symbols with "shit" which seems appropriate.
...i don't know why this came to me like it did...but i just re-read the title of this piece and suddenly felt we might be blaming the product when the real problem is the salesman...anyhow an idea for a future piece...are morons making us stupider?...
haha good point. thats why im on the hunt for the rare podcast that doesnt interupt me half way through with a quick word from athletic greens...
...the greatest athletic greens...shamrock shakes...
What did Rogan say or do that makes you think he's wrong?
Nothing specific about anything he said. Mainly was trying to point out all the conflicting advice and mere opinions hosts and guests share that could be mistaken for truth by the listeners who likely wont do any fact checking after they hear something.
Great article! You made a really compelling argument that I have thought about before as well. Your example of Eric Weinstein talking about modern men and women is fantastic😂😂. I’d like to say though, end of the day, it’s all opinions. It’s interesting to hear the perspective of a joint fund manager and a math PhD holder on modern women and men dynamics. That being said, I’ve heard too many times people spewing what they’ve heard on a podcast and never verifying said information.
Glad you enjoyed it Malik. That's true, it is all opinions even if they're coming from an "expert".
Yep, that's where things get dangerous. If something is said with enough conviction by a powerful figure too many of us automatically accept it as absolute truth.
Great piece! The problem persists on TV and sometimes in writing especially in economics and social issue discussions, where many individuals feel that because it is not a 'hard' science, anything that sounds reasonable goes. The truth is that even if we're not a 'hard' science, there's already enough findings out there that many questions have a pretty clear outline of what is actually reasonable.
Thank you! Yes TV is just as bad if not worse than podcasts.
I have no problem with people sharing their opinions, and they could often be right. But if we automatically accept it as truth then things can get messy.
Valuable points. I think the problems start as soon as we take what's being said as gospel truth, rather than just two people riffing. Taken lightly, then yeah, I want to hear what Weinstein has to say about women, cos he's smarter than me and a generally interesting guy. Doesn't mean I'm going to hang on his every word.
Part of the issue with podcasts, as I see it, is the conviviality that's baked into the guest/host format, which makes it difficult for ideas to truly clash. Usually, host & guest might press the other party for clarity but will ultimately pull their punches. I'd like to see more challenging podcasts, where beliefs are genuinely grilled, on neutral territory.
Thank you Theo. Yes I totally agree. Just because someone is an expert in one field doesn't make everything they say correct or even accurate.
That's a good point. Especially when the conversations are in person. There's a natural tendency to agree no matter what is being said.
I would like to see that too - podcasts where its been decided up front that the host and guest definitely won't agree on everything. Could lead to much more interesting discussions.
There's a YouTube channel – can't remember the name but it's US based – where they put a bunch of people in a room with different viewpoints and let them thrash it out. Can be quite interesting, but it's edited. I wish they'd show the whole conversations! (And I'd like to see it being done in the UK / Europe. Maybe it exists somewhere but I haven't seen it. Maybe worth starting...!)
You could be on to something here!
Tim Ferriss did an episode once with 3 or 4 people who had a civil conversation about all kinds of cool topics where they all respectfully disagreed with each other. Wish there was more of those.
Great post! So many good points. I can come at this from both sides because I've done several podcasts through the years and listen to other shows regularly. As a producer, I found that I was doing one for the sake of doing one way too often - this is no good. Getting into the "commenting on the news of day" cycle is not a great long term approach in my view.
As a listener, it's nearly impossible to keep up with the shows that produce daily. I generally find that I like hyper-focused programs that release sporadically and that (to your point) don't inundate me with ads. I'm patiently waiting for a new episode of Jesse Felder's "Superinvestors and the Art of Worldly Wisdom" (been months since a new one)
Thank you Mike. Yep then you can speak to this better than anyone since you've been there.
It's almost impossible for daily, or even weekly shows to keep delivering the goods every single time. That leaves too much potential for spewing half baked hot takes.
And it's so much more exciting to get a notification from a pod that doesn't post as often because you know it's gonna be a banger.