This morning, I began my day with a bowl of Lucky Charms Cereal and began working on my assignment. My assignment was to listen to a podcast called ‘Serial‘. It is about the case of Adnan Syed, who was convicted of the murder of his ex-girlfriend, Hae Min Lee. The podcast episode, ‘The Alibi’, sets the premise and makes listeners think about whether or not Adnan truly killed Hae. I love all things mystery and murder, I love watching videos about unsolved crimes, mystery novels, and mystery movies. A podcast that I find very interesting and a similar idea to ‘Serial’ is the podcast called ‘Dr. Death‘. Dr. Death is about how a neurosurgeon’s patients mysteriously die after he treats them. So this assignment did not seem like an assignment at all!
Because of my interest in topics similar to the podcast, I really enjoyed listening and will probably continue the whole podcast series. A story like this one described over a podcast leaves a lot of room for imagination and makes it so much more intriguing and enjoyable for listeners, so I am glad that it is in a podcast form rather than print. However, reading that story would be beneficial in the sense that the reader could see all the evidence in front of them, instead of having to remember the facts as they listen. The way people prefer to receive information depends on the type of learner they are. Personally, I am more of an auditory learner than a visual learner. You can find out which type of learner you are by clicking here.
Podcasts are a great way of spreading messages and raising awareness on topics. Because of this, the families of Adnan and Hae may have mixed reactions on their story being told and becoming so popular. Adnan’s family may be glad that his story is being shared so that more people can see that he is innocent and people may even try to help his case. However, people may also interpret Adnan as a monster that killed his ex-girlfriend. For Hae’s family they might not want the story of her death to be told since it is such a sensitive and sad topic.
Although the podcast is quite interesting, the credibility of the evidence Koenig brings up is based on people recalling events that occured 15 years earlier, making it a little iffy. In the beginning of the podcast, Koenig demonstrated how days are hard to remember if nothing eventful happens that day. I know the struggle since I can barely remember what I ate for dinner yesterday! This makes the conversations between Koenig and Asia or Rabia less credible because for them, January 13, 1999, was just another day.
All in all, ‘Serial’ is great podcast to listen to if you are looking for a thrill and I would definitely recommend!
Works Cited:
Dan. “Feel The Story Dr. Death.” Wondery, Wondery – Feel The Story, 10 Apr. 2019, wondery.com/shows/dr-death/.
“Season One.” Serial, serialpodcast.org/season-one.
What’s Your Learning Style? 20 Questions, http://www.educationplanner.org/students/self-assessments/learning-styles-quiz.shtml.
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