I'm a pretty technologically savvy person. I have several very fast computers at my fingertips at almost all times of the day. I also love to stay informed, and I consume information at a rate much higher than average.
My confession: I absolutely can't stand information to be delivered to me in the form of video. When my favorite news sites list headlines that link to video new stories, I avoid them completely. When I click on something and only then find out that it has led me to a video player, I close the window immediately. Even my favorite bloggers, who are in many ways virtual friends, occasionally post video content that I often can't force myself to sit still and watch.
Why is this? Why do I hate video? I don't hate watching TV, though I watch less of it than most. My only plausible theory is that when I'm engaged in a technology setting, I need to be in control of the rate at which I get my information. I want to scan, choose, and process according to my own pace and priority. Video makes me feel like a hostage to the agenda set by the producer of the video.
I'm conflicted somewhat, because as an information architect involved in the marketing world, video is a huge part of my professional landscape. My personal abhorrence of video may skew my professional viewpoints about the value of video in the general marketplace. I will have to work on the proper balance.
Very interesting and understandable perspective.
ReplyDeleteMy approach is quite different. I enjoy engaging in videos for many of the reasons you're against them. Since we attempt to absorb so much information, videos serve as a refreshing break. A time to slow down and focus on this tidbit of information. I also feel that I retain and comprehend information in videos much better than scanning through text. I also believe that this is because I'm not a very focused reader.
These two perspectives support the need to have information available in multiple formats to accommodate various types of users.