On this season of How to Talk to People we explore the barriers to relationship building and why—in a world of endless potential for connection—so many people still feel alone. From the the struggle to prioritize non-romantic relationships, to just feeling uncertain of what to talk about with strangers, host Julie Beck and producer Rebecca Rashid unravel the complexities of putting yourself out there—in hopes of revealing the rewards of showing up. Produced by Rebecca Rashid and hosted by Julie Beck. Editing by Jocelyn Frank. Fact-check by Ena Alvarado. Engineering by Rob Smerciak. Special thanks to A.C. Valdez. The executive producer of Audio is Claudine Ebeid; the managing editor of Audio is Andrea Valdez. Music by Tellsonic (“The Whistle Funk”). Talk to How to Talk to People—by “talk,” we mean write to us—at howtopodcast@theatlantic.com. To support this podcast, and get unlimited access to all of The Atlantic’s journalism, become a subscriber.
45 episodes transcribedPeter Pomerantsev, a contributor at The Atlantic and author of This Is Not Propaganda: Adventures in the War Against Reality, is an expert on the ways...
With digital spaces regularly evolving and updating, and the infinite scroll beckoning to us at all times, this episode questions if we have, as a cul...
Games can serve as an escape from reality—but they can also shape our understanding of trust, collaboration, and what might be possible IRL. Megan Gar...
With smartphones in our pockets and doorbell cameras cheaply available, our relationship with video as a form of proof is evolving. We often say “pics...
This episode explores the web’s effects on our brains and how narrative, repetition, and even a focus on replaying memories can muddy our ability to s...
While the vibrance, innovation, and cacophony of online life can feel completely unlike anything humanity has ever created before, its newness isn’t w...
Social media has made it easier to build more parasocial relationships with celebrities and influencers. What impact are those connections having on o...
What is “real life,” now that the internet and AI are integrated into so much that we do? In the new season of The Atlantic’s popular How To series, c...
It can be tough to face our own mortality. Keeping diaries, posting to social media, and taking photos are all tools that can help to minimize the dis...
Time can feel like a subjective experience—different at different points in our lives. It’s also a real, measurable thing. The universe may be too big...
Between making time for work, family, friends, exercise, chores, shopping—the list goes on and on—it can feel like a huge accomplishment to just take...
Before laptops allowed us to take the office home and smartphones could light up with notifications at any hour, work time and “life” time had clearer...
Many of us complain about being too busy—and about not having enough time to do the things we really want to do. But has busyness become an excuse for...
Co-hosts Becca Rashid and Ian Bogost explore our relationship with time and how to reclaim it. Why is it so important to be productive? Why can it fee...
Why can it feel like there’s never enough time in a day, and why are so many of us conditioned to believe that being more productive makes us better p...
A lot of people are plagued by the feeling that society used to be better, that neighbors were more helpful, that strangers once talked to you. Some p...
The values of individualism that encourage us to go it alone are in constant tension with the desire for community that many people crave. But when at...
Are commitment issues impacting our ability to connect with the people who live around us? Relationship building may involve a commitment to the belie...
What motivated two families to engage in the organized chaos of shared living and how did they learn to talk through, and shape, new expectations for...
The terms of friendship are both voluntary and vague—yet people often find themselves disappointed by unmet expectations. In this episode of How to Ta...
