NPR podcast comments used as group chat by middle schoolers

Middle school students have been using the Spotify comment sections beneath NPR’s “Wild Card” podcast episodes as an informal, makeshift group chat. The behavior was initially mistaken by NPR showrunner Dave Blanchard for automated bot activity due to the unusual abbreviations, emojis, and short messages being posted.

NPR staff eventually identified the activity as coming from younger users. An audio producer noted that the students appeared to be using the platform for communication purposes it was not designed for, similar to how previous generations used tools like Google Docs to chat. The students reportedly targeted podcasts with fewer existing comments to ensure their conversations would be easier to follow.