NPR Podcast Comments Become Unlikely Hangout for Middle Schoolers
Middle schoolers blocked from traditional social media have turned the comment sections of NPR podcasts on Spotify into informal group chats. The trend, first noticed under the 'Wild Card' show, was initially mistaken for bot activity by staff but was identified as youth behavior by Gen Z producer Hannah Chin. The story was highlighted in a new episode of 'This American Life,' where host Ira Glass discussed the phenomenon with a young user who chose the platform specifically because it had few existing comments.
