To not want to watch a video about things all the time

[Cheeseandlobster]

I find it so annoying sometimes when I am looking for info on the internet but the only options are to watch videos on it instead. I don't want to sit through adverts and then a 10 min video full of waffle to find info when I could skim read about it in 1 minute.

Today I was reading a page on sleep routines and without warning it switched to a clip of the writer talking about it instead. So that's me put off then. Does anyone else get annoyed by this or am I a grumpy old cow?

I feel exactly the same way - too impatient for you tube. I don't know how people stand it! I always choose to skim read something first. I wonder if it is to do with age? I'm 41 so grew up reading, but if video was available when you were you get maybe you prefer that?

I agree. It’s especially annoying on news sites where they don’t even put in a summary.

It’s like having to read someone’s life story to get to the recipe right at the bottom of the page.

Same. I'd much rather read text about something. I actually left a course I was on because it was mostly videos instead of words.

Nope, not just you. I used to enjoy 'listicle' type sites but now they're just endless TikToks instead of written anecdotes. I am convinced it's contributing to the increasingly short attention span and poor reading comprehension I encounter in my younger colleagues (not all of them, mind).

Oh god don't even get me started on the recipes that go on about their grandmother's upbringing and how it influenced this dish and how their children adore it yadda yadda

It’s like having to read someone’s life story to get to the recipe right at the bottom of the page.
This gives me THE RAGE. Same for instructions for kids activities.

The video thing is because we read faster than we speak. I don't want to wait for someone to say something if I can get the information quicker by reading.

I also hate it when there are no picture instructions; video tutorials for a product are often so unclear.

It’ll be for money. A video will attract more money from a view than a webpage does.

You are soooo right. Skim reading is a lot easier than skimming a video. Infuriating!

They do this at work now. Rather than a page of information that I can read and refer to, they have bloody videos for everything. I am old - 50- so I think it is an age thing.

Totally agree. Especially news stories when Im in a place that I can't listen to a video and just want to read on my phone.

The recipe thing REALLY annoys me too. It is in effect a life story about having tried many recipes for soft chocolate chip cookies but this is the most fantabulous recipe EVER. Then the actual tip is just to cook them less

Yanbu at all. Give me pages and pages of text over a video any day. Use pictures to illustrate if necessary.

Although having said that, I do quite like those quick video recipes for snack foods. I’m on a few Reddit cooking and baking subs, and quite a few posters don’t know what certain instructions mean, like folding in flour, or creaming butter and sugar. Videos are good to show techniques like that, I suppose.

I'm finding the same. Some of the slow/loud/vocal fry American accents, or the upward inflections, make them impossible to watch.

It may be an age thing, I agree. I'm 39 and I hate it too. I want to read the information, thank you.

Yanbu, this is really annoying.
Written information is so much more useful. It's easy to reread bits if you didn't quite get it, if it's instructions you can follow it though as you do it rather than having it pause a video etc

I have met my people. I find recipe blogs so dull.

I google a lot of recipes and hate having to wade through a load of boring waffle before getting to the recipe.

However, I do enjoy the speeded up recipe videos on Facebook.

This has been bothering me too recently. Every how to...? Question search comes back with videos when a few lines will do. And so many are waffling bollox and don’t actually answer the question.

I’m studying and using video lectures, which are great. Except if I just want to check a short fact (like the three criteria to qualify for X) I can’t trawl through videos to find the answer.

Oh God. My kids schools have been doing this during the pandemic. Videos of the ‘new normal’.
At first aimed at children but now seen as a new acceptable communication method for parents too. Annoying!

Same. It drives me mad at work too - every bit of training and every leadership update is a video or.... A podcast!

It's a nightmare for skipping to the important /relevant/interesting bit. I usually use the transcript instead.

@yugi this is one of my utter pet hates, who cares if your kids loved this soup when they were poorly every winter, I just want to see if have the ingredients and the ability to make it

Yeah, I never watch them and click away. A large portion of my Internet-faffing time is whilst sitting with my toddler as she falls asleep, so is not video-watching time! Or (used to be) on my underground commute, so would want the page to quickly load whilst connected to WiFi in a station and then read it in the tunnel.

I agree but my dd has processing difficulties and us the opposite and loves videos. For mending something they can be useful as you can actually see the bit of the item they are talking about.

I'm the same. So many crochet bits are videos but I'd rather step by step instructions with photos so I can read at my leisure, not to mention the noise.

Yes I completely agree and have ranted about this too. Work seem to be moving onto videos for staff as they're 'more accessible' - well not to me they're not!
The only time I find them really helpful is when they're showing which tiny lever on your boiler to adjust or whatever, that's so much easier than trying to interpret a description. But a strategy at work I want to read - and I do mean read words, not look at a sodding info graphic.

Oh my god yes the recipes! I think I get the reason for it - I assume that padding it out makes people scroll to get to the recipe, so they can fit more ads on the page and make money. But it's just so irritating, especially when you just want to look something up quickly.

At least there's always bbc good food.

I thought it was just me - I can't stand it. I want my information in written words so I can skim the bits I don't care about and read slowly the bits I do.