Podcasts have been around for more than two decades, but the last few years – and particularly their influence in the 2024 US election – have solidified their role in the media landscape.
Some of the most popular podcasts in the US and UK (such as The Joe Rogan Experience and The Rest is Politics) have a conversational format. They typically include two or more people discussing topics in an unstructured, uncensored way. The hosts and guests are unencumbered by word counts or TV timeslots. Such podcasts are a viable medium for political persuasion.
There is some debate as to whether podcasts are simply an extension of the echo chambers formed in other media. But as a researcher of intellectual history and political discourse, I believe that conversational podcasts offer a uniquely valuable way to unpick political questions – and change the listener’s point of view.
