I'd rather be able to skim and search/jump around through text than have to read through a video. Plus videos typically are fuzzy and hard to read what needs to be typed (I can't just copy/paste), and are a waste of bandwidth.
I'm not going to waste time watching a video; they're very poor at efficiently transmitting information compared to text. Can you summarize the argument so I can poke holes in it?
I have unlimited 4G data but I never watch videos. For one I don't want sound blaring out of my phone. Second I can actually read faster than your video. Information density.
Our ancestors invented the script for a reason and its not going anywhere.
The main problem I have with video over text is that it takes much longer to convey the same information. I can read about 5 times faster (450-500 wpm) than most video (90-100 wpm). So other than special cases where video is crucial, I much prefer text.
> Now phones/tablets let people say 'that video is cool, let's make one.'
The problem is that outside of certain subjects, video is a time-inefficient and low-information-density medium. So many things could be conveyed in fuller form, and in a way more respectful of people’s time, by using text. Unfortunately, the use of phones as default devices by many people today young and old discourages longform text, due to the limitations of tiny touch keyboards and screens. That is my own feeling of unease with the way tech is today.
In some niche travel scenes, I have seen a big decline in meaty, useful information since the early millennium, when a blogger generally had a laptop to type on. Sure, now we get glamorous video content, but that can’t be all there is.
You're assuming that speed of consuming information is the goal. Plenty of people prefer videos over text because it communicates emotions and feelings better. Others remember more from people talking to them versus reading text on a page.
The big thing with text is the ease of changing which piece of information you're consuming. Anything that's on the same page is an eye-movement away, which is the cheapest action a human can take. For a video, you have to interact with the controls and hope you get to the right place.
1. If video is superior to text to convey information, why isn't this article a video?
2. They mention that text is declining year over year... I don't think they can expect this trend to entirely phase out text... seems like more users are gaining the ability to post videos and images (increasing smartphone ownership and better access to mobile data) and utilising it in addition to text.
3. Facebook is pushing towards video because prefacing videos with an ad is acceptable whereas the same cannot be done with text or images.
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