Decoder Ring - What Even Is a “Podcast” Anymore?
Podcasts are everywhere. They’re more popular and influential than they’ve ever been. But at the same time, what makes a podcast a “podcast”...
Radio and PodcastLive Radio & Podcasts
Society & Culture
Culture Gabfest
New York Times critic Dwight Garner says “The Slate Culture Gabfest is one of the highlights of my week.” The award-winning Culturefest features Slate culture critics Stephen Metcalf, Dana S...
Episodes
20 of 3,068 episodes
ICYMI - Parenting Apps, Subreddits, & Group Chats—Oh My!
How many apps does it take to raise a child in 2026? Not only are parents navigating countless WhatsApp groups and summer camp platforms, th...
Death, Sex & Money - 'Pay-What-You-Want' Defies Logic, Confuses Economists, and Can Really Work
The pay-what-you-want business model is mostly found in museums and churches, but this week we’ll hear from entrepreneurs and artists who ar...
ICYMI - Yes, Having a Boyfriend Is Embarrassing
Many women are hiding their boyfriends online, or losing followers if they hard-launch. Some go as far as to say having a boyfriend “feels r...
Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - Decoder Ring: Why Do Actors Act Like They Can Sing?
When an actor opens their mouth to sing in a movie, chances are high that the voice you hear will be their own. Even in music biopics, movie...
ICYMI - The Hypocrisy of Plagiarism & AI Accusations
The rise of AI has led to a rise of distrust, but the “tools” used to identify AI and plagiarism are perpetuating preexisting biases. Jason...
Death, Sex & Money - Behind Closed Tabs: Your Porn Stories
Porn. It’s something that people use in their most intimate, private moments. It’s a way to acknowledge desire — without any of the attachme...
ICYMI - Will Social Media Ever Be Fun Again?
Do you remember the last time you had fun online? In recent years, it’s felt like social media has become overridden with hot takes, discour...
Decoder Ring - McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 2 (Encore)
McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of Americ...
ICYMI - It’s Time To Talk About Lindsay Clancy
True crime has always been entertainment, but social media has turned tragedies like the Lindsay Clancy trial into monocultural moments. It’...
Death, Sex & Money - 'Humane Eldercare Has Become a Luxury Item’
Nursing home care in the U.S. can run families $10,000 a month, a cost Medicare won’t pay for. When Anna de la Cruz's parents both developed...
ICYMI - Leave The WNBA Alone, Trolls!
The WNBA has finally taken center stage, but the fandom is going through it. New eyes on the sport have brought new scrutiny, which has resu...
Culture Gabfest - Announcing: Julia's New Show!
L.A. World is a new weekly podcast from L.A. Material, the local news outlet that Julia Turner helped launch earlier this year. The show hel...
Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia - The Harrisong Edition
In the 1960s, the Beatles were defined by the success of the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership. But in the digital era, we discovered...
ICYMI - Get In Loser, We’re Friction-Maxxing
Technology keeps trying to “fix” every small inconvenience in our lives, which has rendered us completely unable to endure basic hurdles suc...
Death, Sex & Money - Passive Aggressive vs. ‘Massive Aggressive’ With Novelist Elizabeth Strout
The bestselling novelist behind works like Amy and Isabelle and Olive Kitteridge discusses her excitement about turning 70, her reserved New...
ICYMI - Are You Anti-Influencer, Or Anti-Women?
After a small business in Nantucket put a “no influencers” sign in their store, creators accused it of being sexist. The issue divided the i...
Decoder Ring - McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime, Part 1 (Encore)
McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of Americ...
ICYMI - We Lost Another Creator To AI, Boys
Hank Green is finally burning out. After creating for the internet for almost 20 years, the YouTuber (and one half of Vlogbrothers) confesse...
Death, Sex & Money - A Refreshingly Curious Adventure through Our Divided America
Peter Santenello has been documenting his world travels on YouTube for nearly two decades, but it wasn’t until he moved in with a family in...