They're part of the "intellectual landscape" in the sense that they act as a gateway for getting people interested in deeper topics, in a culture that has large

They're part of the "intellectual landscape" in the sense that they act as a gateway for getting people interested in deeper topics, in a culture that has largely been anti-intellectual. For as long as Hollywood shaped the cultural narrative, being smart was considered downright shameful; nerd was a synonym for loser, geeks were always social misfits. That shifted at some point in the last 10-20 years, in part due to increased immigration from non-anti-intellectual cultures but also because of the popularity of such podcasters and some YouTubers, especially fitness YouTubers. I'd definitely credit these people as part of the "intellectual landscape" because they showed America that you could remain engaged for hours on something that isn't vapid bullshit, in a way that NPR perhaps couldn't.