Middle schoolers are turning podcast comment sections into group chats

When Ira Glass questioned a student about their choice of platform, the answer was blunt: they specifically sought out podcasts with minimal engagement to avoid detection. Initially, the influx of clipped, emoji-heavy messages baffled showrunner Dave Blanchard, who suspected a glitch or a bot attack. He began deleting the posts, only to be met with a meta-commentary from a user noting their message had been removed.

Producer Hannah Chin quickly identified the behavior, recalling their own youth spent using Google Docs as a clandestine messaging service. The phenomenon is not entirely new; a similar migration occurred last year on the Ted Radio Hour. It serves as a testament to the ingenuity of younger users who, when denied access to mainstream apps, effectively transform the most unlikely corners of the internet into their own social hubs.