When is it time to upgrade a podcast?

Changing the lens, widening the focus of my podcast.

As I was nearing my 45th episode of Radio 201, a podcast I launched in 2020, I began to think more deeply about the topics I tend to focus on. I positioned it as the intersection of Education and Technology — EdTech, as we refer to it. I wanted to not simply obsess with the shiny new objects that every other tech podcast takes on. I wanted to go wider, and talk about the broader impact of education, how we socialize, communicate and get out of our comfort zones (or stay within our lanes).

And so I decided to launch a new podcast — Wide Angle. The photography, metaphor is intentional. It’s a show that I hope will probe many of those blind spots, especially so in platforms and apps we use each day. Wide Angle will take a deeper look at narratives which tend to get shusshed because they are uncomfortable. You know: book bannings, media polarization, trackers and surveillance in our lives…

As for specifics, I am interested in topics like ‘echo chambers’ and ‘filter bubbles’ — terms you probably hear about. I will be exploring misinformation and disinformation, those evergreen, controversial issues. And how could I not bring up AI? I am really curious about the ‘generative’ and ‘transformative’ side of AI (ever wondered why they began call ChatGPT and its ilk ‘generative AI’?), before I get to the hullabaloo caused by AI itself. I’m also intrigued by the research going on into algorithms and the so-called ‘algorithmic bias’ issues. On a recent stay at delightful Airbnb in New York, the hosts explained how they got ChatGPT to fine tune their Airbnb listing, with constant refinement. Will marketing be soon taking advantage of this? A friend in Australia tells me he uses it for sharpening ad copy. Gulp!

I may be extremely digital in some areas — hey I teach computers and digital media — but I’m also a vocal skeptic when it comes to crypto, autonomous vehicles, and big data. These are topics that unwittingly become part of our classroom discussions. Meaning, they’re not in the lesson plan for the week, but the show up and hijack it! Topics ripe for a podcast.

So yes, I will widen the focal length, and (if you’ll permit me to exploit the metaphor) vary the depth of field to make this podcast interesting. I hope you’ll join me and subscribe to Wide Angle someday.