can you listen to too many podcasts? yeah, probably
the common criticism of social media is the comparison it begets. to use these services is to constantly look at other people's lives, bodies, relationships (romantic or otherwise), and accomplishments. to use these services is to be drip fed a highlight reel too sweet to be of any value. i've left these applications behind, and now i am wondering about my other media intake. namely, podcasts.
i listen to hours every day - i have a job that makes this easy. work would be worse without them. and aren't podcasts supposed to be good for you? educational, even? they are long form, sometimes spanning multiple hours, which must be good for attention (even if they are but one gear in a multitasking Rube Goldberg Machine. right?)
i am wondering if it's healthy for someone to sit and listen to edited conversations all day. conversations that feature friend groups, friends who are always on the same page, friends always getting along, friends who are always watching the same movies and reading the same books... these conversations have no awkward pauses. everyone is joking around and everyone gets the joke, if not in the first take than in the second.
i don't think these people are being deceptive. i'm just not sure i'm doing myself any favors by blocking out real conversations in order to listen to airbrushed ones. am i just listening to other people's friends rather than making any of my own?