I’ve spoken before about the importance of the five people you spend the most time with and how much they influence you. And since hearing about it for the first time a couple of years ago, I’ve paid close attention to my situation. It’s shockingly accurate.

But what about those people who don’t have a strong friend group? A lot of people don’t have a social circle at their workplace, some don’t have a social circle at all.

So where do they find their “big five?”

For those who don’t have a physical group of people to close from, they default to other inputs. Social media and books can be one source, but I believe podcasts are the contenders. Unlike other media forms, a good podcast host can give the impression that they’re talking to you. Quite often the listener can relate to the things they hear. If they don’t they move on to someone that speaks in a way that aligns with their beliefs.

The danger is similar to the one I mentioned recently about the echo chamber of social media.

Podcasts of a specific flavour tend to introduce listeners to podcasts in a similar vein.

If the listener lacking a social group in the physical world isn’t careful, the five people who influence who they become will be podcast hosts. Likely all sharing similar ideas or ideologies.

And without a greater circle to raise questions or bounce ideas off of, the aperture of the world can shrink to a place of dangerous perspective.