this post was submitted on 19 May 2025
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me_irl
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There are people who absolutely prefer videos to text.
A few years ago at work one of my tasks was writing up technical documentation. I'd write it up, get feedback, make tweaks, report complex errors upstream to improve or eliminate error messages, basically make the text as simple and straightforward as possible.
But over the years we'd get feedback, "Can this be a video?" and I didn't get it. I figured I must not be writing it correctly. I'd chat with people, I'd gather more feedback. People still wanted video. I asked people for video how I could improve. They literally just wanted me to read the text I wrote. I didn't get it.
Other folks on my team decided to make a few videos. The videos were just pictures of the text, the same pictures already included, and people reading it verbatim, plus a little background music. People loved it. Many people ignored it, but those that watched it, loved it. I still don't get it.
It depends what it is for me but text can be frustrating for learning. I don't retain read information well, I read slowly, I get distracted and can't multitask to focus when my eyes are locked up with text, and it all kinda blurs together and feels samey. With audio I can set it to double speed and still process well making it way faster to process than my read speed, I can multitask to stay focused better, I'm less likely to get eye strain, retain the info better. With audio and video I can link changes in the screen and audio in a broad sense to what was being said. Like "oh this part where the music changed right before switching from the three paragraph page to the four paragraph page is extra important" which helps me retain the topic while also giving me clues as to where to find information without running into all the text being samey