importantSYS.SOURCE: TechCrunch• 2026-09-25T20:33:58Z

Middle Schoolers Using NPR Comment Sections as Social Hubs

#social networking #npr #middle schoolers #podcasts #comment sections

Middle schoolers are using NPR's comment sections as an unexpected social hub, bypassing traditional social media platforms. The phenomenon was discovered through podcast comments, with kids favoring platforms with fewer comments for group chats.

When NPR staffers flagged strange comments under their podcasts on Spotify as bots, it took a Gen Z colleague to (immediately) figure out the mystery.

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> META LAUNCHES EARLY ACCESS FOR ENHANCED MUSE AI FEATURES > MIDDLE SCHOOLERS USING NPR COMMENT SECTIONS AS SOCIAL HUBS > COASTAL EROSION AND SEA LEVEL RISE IMPACTING CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES > BORDER RADIUS ANOMALY REPORTED IN VSCODE EDITOR > LETTERBOXD PLATFORM SEEKS ACQUISITION WITH BIDS FROM A24, SONY, AND THE NEW YORK TIMES > ANTHROPIC COMMITS $11.6 BILLION TO AKAMAI'S CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE OVER SEVEN YEARS > GUIDANCE FOR ASPIRING PHD CANDIDATES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE > MARK WAHLBERG TO DISCUSS ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AT TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT 2026 > CLAUDE SHANNON'S INFORMATION THEORY: ADDRESSING NOISY COMMUNICATION CHANNELS > BRITISH AI STARTUP NSCALE SECURES $3.36B CONVERTIBLE FINANCING AHEAD OF US IPO> META LAUNCHES EARLY ACCESS FOR ENHANCED MUSE AI FEATURES > MIDDLE SCHOOLERS USING NPR COMMENT SECTIONS AS SOCIAL HUBS > COASTAL EROSION AND SEA LEVEL RISE IMPACTING CALIFORNIA COMMUNITIES > BORDER RADIUS ANOMALY REPORTED IN VSCODE EDITOR > LETTERBOXD PLATFORM SEEKS ACQUISITION WITH BIDS FROM A24, SONY, AND THE NEW YORK TIMES > ANTHROPIC COMMITS $11.6 BILLION TO AKAMAI'S CLOUD INFRASTRUCTURE OVER SEVEN YEARS > GUIDANCE FOR ASPIRING PHD CANDIDATES IN COMPUTER SCIENCE > MARK WAHLBERG TO DISCUSS ENTREPRENEURIAL VENTURES AND INVESTMENT STRATEGIES AT TECHCRUNCH DISRUPT 2026 > CLAUDE SHANNON'S INFORMATION THEORY: ADDRESSING NOISY COMMUNICATION CHANNELS > BRITISH AI STARTUP NSCALE SECURES $3.36B CONVERTIBLE FINANCING AHEAD OF US IPO