So, to those of you who hypothetically know me, you know that I’m super into my podcasts. I’m an avid doodler in my spare time, and it really helps the creative juices flow if I can have something to listen to during all that.
For a recent class assignment, I’ve been listening to ‘Serial’, a podcast centered around the dramatic investigation of high school student Hae Min Lee’s murder, and the potentially incorrect conviction of her then boyfriend, Adnan Syed.
Really, it was a nice podcast, and I super enjoyed it! I really like the idea of putting investigative journalism into a format that feels a lot like talking on the phone with someone. The casualness of the narrator’s dictation and tone brings about familiarity and really adds to the odd kind of comfort I felt listening to her go on about the case. The only issue is that I doubt the family of the victim would feel too happy about the relaxed feel of a podcast documenting the murder of their daughter.
I would have added a gif after that last paragraph, but I don’t think you could apply any tone of humor to that last sentence without being insensitive.
The first thing that struck me was the narrator discussing how difficult it is to remember specific days without the aid of social media. This is true. If you were to ask me what I did last Saturday at 4:15 PM, I wouldn’t be able to tell you unless I could look at a snippet of a conversation I had with someone.
Alright, I did just that. Apparently, that was the day I finished a book I was reading, so that means it was also the day I went out to dinner with my friends and ate an entire bowl of mac ‘n’ cheese for lunch. That’s what weirds me out about specific parts of this podcast. There’s no way that the ‘Jay’ guy could have remembered all that stuff Adnan allegedly said to him throughout the day. Unless he has a super memory, of course. Same with the Asia girl, all that’s a really specific thing to remember, isn’t it?
I don’t know. Maybe I’m just being dumb.
Moving on, I’ve always enjoyed podcasts like this, or maybe it’s just podcasts in general. I had a period of three or four years where I just stopped reading, and I don’t know why. In that time, narrative podcasts kind of filled the void. I love the creativity that goes into them, and the fact that they allow me to multitask and still grasp what’s going on. They’re also really great to listen to on road trips. Seriously. Though I liked this one, I’m still on the fence if I’m going to keep listening to it. The podcasts I enjoy need to have a certain degree of fantastical fiction, and this one is a little too real for me.
Anyway, this is Katie signing off. Have a good day, y’all.
The Written Word 
I agree with you on this topic! This is the first actual podcast I’ve listened to! I really enjoyed how conversational Sarah Koenig was throughout the podcast. It made me want to keep listening. I keep re-listening to this podcast to make sure I haven’t missed any specific details about Adnan’s trial. Do you think that Jay is lying about January 13, 1999? I think it is pretty crazy that he can supposedly ‘remember’ this day and all the events that occurred! I feel as if Jay is lying to cover up something… Have you considered Asia’s letters being suspicious?
Great Work Katie!!
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I definitely agree that Sarah’s tone is strangely comforting. I also agree with your opinion on Asia and Jay. In a time where social media didn’t exist, how the heck can they remember all those details when I forget what show I’m watching during the commercials? Something’s sketchy. Do you think Adnan is innocent? Do you think Jay or Asia had something to do with the murder?
Good job, Katie!
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WOW this is a great looking blog, how did you make it look so nice? If you’re interested in listening to more podcasts I highly recommend Harmontown and Duncan Trussell family hour! I also found the memory part to be “weird” I COULDNT REMEMBER ANYTHING until i consulted my calendar and saw that day I had a job interview than details of that day slowly started coming back to me!
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I thought it was interesting that you looked back on how it was hard to remember something you did from a past date. Do you think that it is easier nowadays to form an alibi and get the alibi confirmed than before cellphones were popular? I think that it is easier to tell someone what I was doing during a school day because my phone’s calendar covers everything in a day but I wonder if I would be as organized as if I did not have a phone.
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I completely know how you feel, and I agree! This was the first podcast I have listened to in my life and I am so happy I had the chance to listen to Serial! I too tried to remember a day from my past, but lets just say I tragically failed. Like you, this is what lead me to believe that Adnan’s friend Jay could in fact be lying about the day of the murder.
Also I am a total Criminal Minds fanatic so this podcast was right up my alley. I love how you mentioned the fact that you can listen to the podcasts anywhere and they are great to listen to in the car. That’s a great point I had not even thought of so I’m definitely going to have to try that out! Have you considered how the downside to podcasts is that it is quite difficult to try to go back and listen to a part you may have missed or you want to listen to again? Overall such a great job! (P.S. I LOVE your choice of gifs:))
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Great job! The visuals that you used in your blog really helped enhance it and it looked great. Your ideas towards the podcast fell very closely to mine. I too really enjoyed the podcast and thought it was a great way to learn and hear a story. In my opinion the podcast was more exciting and kept me wanting to listen rather than just reading a plain old book. I thought that it was great that in the podcast they could use different speaker’s voices so that it was easier to understand and made it feel like you were actually there. In my opinion Jay’s story was suspicious and I would have to say that I do not believe it. I can hardly remember what I did last week so I don’t know how Jay could remember all the details so clearly. As well, if Jay was Adnan’s friend then why would he speak so easily about the day and rat him out! Do you agree with this? I can relate to your post also as what you talking about in the first paragraph were things I mentioned as well which is funny. I too enjoy listening to music and it helps me to focus and be happier. I really enjoyed reading your blog!
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This was my first podcast I have ever listened to and I really enjoyed it. What kinds of podcast do you usually listen to? That is such a good point about Jay and Asia’s memory. Jay had some really detailed explanations about his and Syed’s conversation that day, that is a lot of information to remember from the past. Have you ever considered that the Syed did murder his girlfriend that day, that’s why Jay remembers every little detail of that day because that event is engraved in his memory? Just a thought, really interesting blog!
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I totally agree with you, this podcast was excellent and I’m actually glad we had to listen to it for this class. I’ve never liked reading that much and I feel like podcasts are great because you can listen to them while going about your daily life or doing homework. You rightly point out that it is quite strange that Asia remembers all the details. That isn’t something I considered at first and her reasoning about the snowstorm seems iffy at best. In the case of Jay it does seem reasonable that he would remember all the small details if his story is true, it would be a really surreal experience to be an accomplice to a murder and I’m sure it’s something that would be burned into your brain. His story is suspicious for many other reasons though, and ultimately I think it’s probably false.
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