Everyone has a podcast, including fake German heiress Anna Delvey (Sorokin)

Anna Delvey (Sorokin) is under house arrest at her apartment in New York, pending a deportation hearing. (AP Photo/John Carucci)

Podcasts are the new conversation starter. You are either listening to one, talking about one, talking in one or hosting one. Just like the books on your bookshelf advertise your personality, the podcasts you recommend present you to the world. Your ears, already pawned to traffic sounds, non-stop loud songs and spam callers, are now being auctioned off to prime podcast players.

Podcasts are ubiquitous, personalized and portable. Unlike radio programmes that stop for no one, podcasts wait for you to tune in. Originally called audio blogs, they got their act together in 2004. And now they are everywhere. Two Adams (Curry and Carolla) and a Dave (Winer) are said to be the pater familias of podcasts, with the word ‘podcasting’ – a portmanteau of ‘iPod’ and ‘broadcasting’ – reportedly coined by a journalist, Ben Hammersley, in 2004.

Podcasts can be delivered in breathy monologues – like Archetypes, the one Meghan Markle did for Spotify, aim for laughs – like WTF With Marc Maron, be a storyteller – like Wooden Overcoats, take up politics – like Pod Save America, dispense relationship advice – like Call Her Daddy hosted by Alexandra Cooper… Science, arts, business, sports self-help, music, news, health or history, seek and you shall receive.

Podcasters and podcastees are a match made in heaven. Author Miranda Katz said: ‘People are really listening and want to consume all of the content that is there and available. There’s a level of dedication that comes from podcast listeners that you don’t otherwise find. And now the numbers prove it. Podcasts aren’t a bubble, they’re a boom — and that boom is only getting louder.’

But what do podcasts do, you may ask. It’s only words, right? For one, they could solve crime. Serial of 2014 got Adnan Syed, who was wrongly accused of murder, out of jail. Morbid: A True Crime Podcast has BFFs Alaina Urquhart and Ashleigh Kelley talk about cases. Curtis Flowers, tried for one crime six times, walked free with some help from In the Dark. Chris Lambert, hosting Your Own Backyard, helped a murder conviction. Investigative podcasts are the new Sherlock Holmes.

Can podcasts also provide a platform to criminals to have their say? Anna Sorokin, who is under house arrest in New York after three years in jail for fraud and whose life inspired the Netflix series Inventing Anna, has just launched a podcast series, The Anna Delvey Show. She is quoted as saying, ‘The main theme of my podcast is productive rule-breaking.’ Once upon a time she called herself Anna Delvey and pretended to be an heiress; the podcast title evokes the fake name, and of course listener curiosity.

One can’t blame her. Podcasts are a new fad, and she has lots to say, no doubt. Her guests, we are told, will include Emily Ratajkowski, Julia Fox, and Ottessa Moshfegh – sure to bring in her fans. Not surprisingly, Anna wants Elizabeth Holmes on her podcast. But Holmes, who perpetrated a blood test con and is now behind bars, may want to start her own podcast from jail.

Because everyone has a podcast.