I don’t want to sound like an old man, but I’ve been listening to podcasts for so long (“How long, Philip?”) that I used to download them on iTunes and manually transfer shows like WTF with Marc Maron and The Art of Wrestling to my iPod. A lot has changed over the past decade-and-a-half, and the podcast format has become massively popular with millions of people.
This progression took another step recently, when a slew of podcasts became available with a Netflix subscription. While I am excited that some of my favorite shows like My Favorite Murder and The Rewatchables are reaching a new audience, I’m having a really hard time getting into the video format. I don’t know if I’m the only one who feels this way, but I’d rather listen to a podcast…
Some Of My Favorite Podcasts Are Now Videos On Netflix, And I’m Not A Fan
This isn’t an attack on podcasters wanting to mess around with video in addition to the standard audio format, but I’m just not a fan. And it’s not just because it’s on Netflix, as I’m constantly having to exit out of the videos whenever I listen to certain podcasts on Spotify. It’s weird, I know, but I’ve spent the past two decades listening to podcasts while mowing the lawn, cooking dinner, riding the train, and driving on family vacations. Now that there’s an option to watch them, I just can’t get into it.
I’m fully aware that I could simply have the video podcasts on Netflix on in the background while I’m doing this or that, but why should I when I already have Spotify and the Apple Podcasts app on my phone for this purpose?
This is going to sound equally weird, but I’ve gone so long hearing these people’s voices while not seeing their faces that it creates a jarring experience when I see them talk. I have this perception of one thing, so seeing another is off-putting and takes me out of the experience. It’s nothing the podcasters are doing wrong, and it’s not like I hate their faces; it’s just some weird mental thing on my end.
It Looks Like Other Netflix Users Aren’t Down With The New Addition
I know that not everyone feels so passionately about podcasts on Netflix (what about when it comes to discontinuing the DVD-by-mail service?), but I did some digging before starting this. Through my admittedly brief stroll through social media, I found multiple X users who also didn’t care for the video format. Here are some of the funnier comments I found in response to this new form of content on the streamer.
- Salute to those making bread but podcasts on Netflix is actually a terrible experience. - @JRAM
- I hate that all these sports podcasts are on Netflix now - @TheKardiac_Kid
- If you’re watching podcasts on Netflix, they gotta put you in a home - @tom_on_here
- If you watch podcasts on Netflix, you are a certified dweeb. - @NCastellina
While I wouldn’t go as hard as those last two comments, it seems like I’m not sitting on an island all on my own in this regard. Sure, it’s still a small island with a handful of unnecessarily angry people, but it’s better than nothing.
Who knows, maybe I’ll eventually come around to the latest Netflix craze. Until then, I’ll continue to listen to podcasts the old-fashioned way: on my phone (not my iPod).
