What do my podcasts say about me?

Over the years there has been a lot written about what our choice of music says about us. If you like Wagner does that make you an aggressive Teutonic? If you prefer Strauss does that make you weak willed and airy fairy? Does a taste for the Beatles mean you are out of date? Does liking Taylor Swift mean you an empowered feminist or a young teenager? Many of us claim to have eclectic music taste because we think we like such wide ranging genres. The reality is that if someone else looks at our music collection they can see a definite style, that reflects who we are and where we have come from.

I have a feeling that our taste in podcasts says even more about us. Here are some of mine.

I was an early adopter of podcasts. They arrived as an option in iTunes in June 2005 and I immediately started downloading them to my iPod so that I could listen on walks with the dogs. Many of the early ones were just repeats of radios programmes and I subscribed (not followed in those days) to several Radio 4 programmes, some of which you can still see above. I think “Last Word” was one of the first made available. I also remember the exciting day when after several years of waiting, the BBC added “The Archers” to its podcast list.

It was pretty easy in those early days because there were not that many podcasts available, so I had time to listen to all the ones I liked. In recent years, the number of podcasts has just exploded. I am now a complete old fogey because I write a blog instead of hosting a podcast. Why do so many people do podcasts? I am sure the top podcasts make a lot of money, but for many I suspect it is just an ego thing, or maybe, like this blog, it is a satisfying way of sharing what you are thinking with a few friends. What it does mean is that there is huge choice.

You can see above that my selection covers politics, drama, history, current affairs, film, comedy, science. What is the common thread? I think that all the podcasts I choose are entertaining, not too difficult to listen to, not too long. Back when I was working, I used to listen to business podcasts, but they have now gone. I am surprised I do not listen to a narrowboat podcast. Perhaps I am just bored of all the boat vloggers.

And what does my choice says about me? Maybe that I have eclectic taste. Or not.

I would welcome feedback this week. What do you think about my choice of podcasts, and what do you prefer yourself?