The Power of Decentralisation with Adam Curry - WBD491

Adam Curry is a DJ, internet entrepreneur, and, along with Dave Winer, the creator of podcasting. In this interview, we discuss Texas and guns, how Bitcoin features in world events, food intelligence and smarter education, as well as the origins, ethos, and future of podcasting.

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The ubiquity of podcasts has masked how innovative and ground breaking the technology is. In only 2 decades an idea about using RSS feeds to distribute audio blogs has now arguably become the most effective media channel rivalling both main stream media and increasingly social media.

It is estimated that more than a third of Americans regularly listen to podcasts. Market forecasts suggest the industry will be worth over $2 billion in the next few years. The relative ease of production, lack of editing constraints, and its long form character, has resulted in an explosion of content.

At a time when trust is in short supply, clickbait is employed over honest reportage, and toxicity is increasingly infecting discussions, podcasting is providing a desirable alternative for those seeking truth and facts. As a result, podcasting has been important to disseminating knowledge across a range of subjects.

And yet, there are risks that podcasters could make the same mistakes of other media: audience capture and reliance on centralised distribution channels could undermine the effectiveness of the industry to continue to provide a valuable source of truth.

Adam Curry had a critical and central role in the genesis of podcastings. Yet, his passion for the medium is as fervent as ever. He’s at the forefront of both Podcasting 2.0 technical developments, whilst also being one of the industry's most industrious contributors. He was orange-pilled via podcasts, now he’s using his knowledge of Bitcoin to strengthen podcasting.