4 ms·

Tangential question (and a serious one, since I'm pretty much baffled by the whole thing) : I don't use audiobooks, since I find them 'slow'. Why do people lis

Tangential question (and a serious one, since I'm pretty much baffled by the whole thing) : I don't use audiobooks, since I find them 'slow'. Why do people listen to them instead of reading books? Is it because, say, listening to one while driving is better than not being able to read since you have no time to do so? Or is there a specific pleasure in listening to a book read by someone else?

mnahkies 4y ago
I generally favour podcasts over audio books, but generally whether I read or listen on my commute is determined by whether I got a seat on the train - can be difficult to read standing up on a crowded train
matsemann 4y ago
I prefer reading books myself, but sometimes the hurdle to actually sit down and read can be a bit big. So while I'm an avid reader, I have bouts where I read nothing at all. Not because of time constraints or anything, just feels a bit heavy starting something new. But listening to something is less of a commitment. As you say, can combine it with something else. So it's a way for me to ease back into reading mode again. Edit: but I would recommend staying away from Audible. When I wanted to take a break from my monthly membership, they forced me to use all tokens I had amassed.
bikingbismuth 4y ago
There a lot of times in my day when I can listen to a book (commuting, chores, taking a walk), but not as many when I can sit for a decent amount of time and read (usually around bed time). I do both, and on balance I slightly prefer actually reading myself, but I don’t think of listening to a book as a lesser experience. There are books that are enhanced by a great narrator (Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson) or the author gives a bit of extra info/context while reading (Good to Great by Jim Collins). Also, Audible has a huge selection of “Great Courses”, which are lectures from professors. Obviously, they aren’t as rigorous as a real college class, but I love being able to listen to 12ish hours of lecture about something I find interesting. I listen to books at 1.2-1.5 speed depending on the narrator and topic, so that helps to not feel “slowed down”.
BugsJustFindMe 4y ago
> I don't use audiobooks, since I find them 'slow'. Audiobook players all have speed controls that let you make them go faster.
- lioeters 4y ago
  That reminds me when I learned how blind people use the screen reader, the setting for the voice can be at an incredibly fast speed, where the words turn into "bits" of sound. I know people who watch YouTube videos like that, and my brain cannot process spoken words so fast. It also reminds me of hip hop, some of those raps are like a machine gun of words that overload the brain. It's probably about personal preferences in "modes of thinking", visual, verbal, auditory, etc. I much prefer to read something than to watch a video or listen to audio, and can consume information the quickest.
  - BugsJustFindMe 4y ago
    > my brain cannot process spoken words that fast Not at first. This is something that people train themselves to do gradually. For me it didn't take very long to get to 3x playback speed for audiobooks, which untrained people usually find incomprehensible, but I started out much slower and then increased the speed a little every day because I wanted to be able to listen to more books.
    - lioeters 4y ago
      That's interesting to know. It makes sense, it's a listening skill that can be developed. I've always wanted to deepen my knowledge of web accessibility, and get more familiar with screen readers - but was afraid it might be too frustrating to navigate while listening to a voice, slow enough to understand. Now I know, it just takes practice. Thanks!
      - knaik94 4y ago
        Youtube videos with closed captions on are a nice way to ease into it. There's chrome extensions to increase the speed over the '2x' playback option youtube gives you. I personally don't enjoy podcasts at above 1.3x to 1.5x speed but when I am reading along with subtitles, I can increase the speed easily to 2.7x+. I don't think I did any specific practice. After a certain amount of minutes, at 1.5x speed, the cadence of lectures at high speed start to feel normal and going back to 1.0x speed feels slow, as if it was 0.7x speed. Sort of like an audio illusion. It reminds me of the feeling you get when you have been on a highway at a high speed for hours on a road trip. For whatever reason, my brain stops understanding how fast the "slow" speed of 20mph is is. So it feels extra slow even though relative to walking it's really fast. Recently I came across Jump Cutter https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jump-cutter/lmppdpldfpfdlipofacekcfleacbbncp https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jump-cutter/lmppdp... which is an extension to speed up silences while keeping spoken audio at normal speed. You can customize it, but it's been an interesting experience, the audio is at an effective 1.9x speed while only being 1.4x during the spoken section. Screen readers have a place, but the value in screen readers for the non-visually impaired is limited to the text-to-speech function. After a certain point, the synthetic voices and physics make it hard to produce intelligible sounds even if your brain can process it faster. Certain sounds end up getting cut or the software starts skipping words and it not something you can fix for every scenario. https://github.com/espeak-ng/espeak-ng/issues/131 https://github.com/espeak-ng/espeak-ng/issues/131 an ongoing thread talking about how this can be mitigated. I also know that some visually impaired people get used to certain voices to the point where they can make at words at a higher speed using a specific voice compared to others. The robot voices easier to understand than the more human sounding ones. Getting to 3x is much much easier than you imagine, it will take less than an hour if you increase the speed by 0.2x every 15ish minutes. You get used to it really quickly. The human brain is pretty fantastic in that regard. I personally found that past 2.7x speed, even if I can understand the words, I can't comprehend new ideas and words fast enough for it to make sense and I end up having to pause. There definitely is a a point of diminishing returns, and for me it's around 2.6x, 2.7x. It depends on the lecturer cadence though. If you want simple emulation of navigating using a screen reader, navigating having disabled your mouse is a good starting point. NVDA is the gold standard for screen readers.
tomjen3 4y ago
You can play them at faster than normal speed in the audible player, but I have to ask you a question, do you also find movies slow? For my personal use, I tend to do podcasts/audiobooks in my car and sometimes when doing chores around the apartment. I can't read while I am driving or vacuuming, but neither takes much mental capacity.
- Agingcoder 4y ago
  Interesting question. No, I don't find movies slow. The rhythm of a film is the one that was decided by the filmmaker, so it's part of the experience(at least for fiction). For fiction books, since the book is written, I expect to be able to read it at my own pace, and since I am a very fast reader, I usually end up 'waiting' in an audiobook, without getting anything extra in compensation. In other words, I'm frustrated by the fact that I could read much faster, but can't. I can understand from the previous answers that there are audiobooks/dramas with high production value though. I'll look into this. In such a case, I guess I should view the audiobook as a different object, i.e some kind of adaptation, much like books are turned into films. Non fiction is completely different - I very much dislike anything audio/video. I need a book, since I want to be able to jump around non linearly (go back , skip, stop, explore this bit/ask a question , etc).
em-bee 4y ago
reading requires 100% focus. you can't listen to anything else. you can't use your hands unless you read off a computer screen, and then you still need to switch pages somehow, you can't move around either. people watch tv on a treadmill, but reading won't work because you need to keep the focus on the current line. reading while commuting with public transport works at least. on the other hand listening opens up a number of other activities at the same time. i started listening on my commute. when that went away i discovered going for a walk as a replacement exercise and as a great way to get some listening time in. in fact because i want to get more time to listen, i end up going for longer walks. besides audiobooks i also listen to audio drama and podcasts. i started with the latter. audio books came later, when i decided that i wanted to read more, and it allowed me to start picking up some books without changing my habits. i love reading. i was a bookworm when i was a kid. i stopped because i got to busy and just would not find the time. i was also traveling a lot and didn't want to carry books around. if i pick up something to read now i loose track of time.
- JohnFen 4y ago
  > on the other hand listening opens up a number of other activities at the same time. Not for everybody. I can't listen to an audiobook and do anything else at all if I expect to be able to actually absorb what I'm hearing. I find it amazing that other people can do that. Perhaps Agingcoder is like me.
ddingus 4y ago
I find them slow too. Depending on the author, I can read a novel in an evening. Mostly, I do quick bursts for time reasons. My average is a few nights. An audio book can take a long time. Listening fast is a mixed bag. I generally have a poor experience. And I can take aural "input" quickly, and do that when it is about learning something, not pleasure. A while back, I gave audio books another try. My brother in law loves them, BTW. He encouraged me to try again largely because he had one he wanted me to comment on. I find my ability to visualize, become immersed in the story to the point where I do not notice I am reading is not as well developed when listening! For me, this is my number one reason for not using audiobooks. For my brother in law it is the opposite! I find it hard to restart sometimes too. Have to go back some and let the book ramp up. This is near instant when I read. Maybe go back a page or few tops, if it has been a while. I need to ramp up on a listen every time. I bet something along these lines drives people to on medium or other. People appear to vary widely. That said, audio books have some great use cases: When reading, many labors can't be done. Listening works along with many labors. This is compelling! I personally prefer podcasts, but audio books will plug right in here. I already mentioned immersion differences. Some people really enjoy the readers inflection and characterization. I like this too. It is one of the better things about audio books, assuming one has some affinity for a reader. There definitely is potential for pleasure here. A great reader does add to the experience. Shared reading! This one surprised me! I know a couple who listen together while doing other projects. Pretty cool! They just have it playing and do whatever they are doing. That is all I got. Maybe it is useful perspective from a reader who prefers visually reading a book, but who has also appreciated audio books.

mnahkies 4y ago

I generally favour podcasts over audio books, but generally whether I read or listen on my commute is determined by whether I got a seat on the train - can be difficult to read standing up on a crowded train

matsemann 4y ago

I prefer reading books myself, but sometimes the hurdle to actually sit down and read can be a bit big. So while I'm an avid reader, I have bouts where I read nothing at all. Not because of time constraints or anything, just feels a bit heavy starting something new. But listening to something is less of a commitment. As you say, can combine it with something else. So it's a way for me to ease back into reading mode again. Edit: but I would recommend staying away from Audible. When I wanted to take a break from my monthly membership, they forced me to use all tokens I had amassed.

bikingbismuth 4y ago

There a lot of times in my day when I can listen to a book (commuting, chores, taking a walk), but not as many when I can sit for a decent amount of time and read (usually around bed time). I do both, and on balance I slightly prefer actually reading myself, but I don’t think of listening to a book as a lesser experience. There are books that are enhanced by a great narrator (Aurora by Kim Stanley Robinson) or the author gives a bit of extra info/context while reading (Good to Great by Jim Collins). Also, Audible has a huge selection of “Great Courses”, which are lectures from professors. Obviously, they aren’t as rigorous as a real college class, but I love being able to listen to 12ish hours of lecture about something I find interesting. I listen to books at 1.2-1.5 speed depending on the narrator and topic, so that helps to not feel “slowed down”.

BugsJustFindMe 4y ago

> I don't use audiobooks, since I find them 'slow'. Audiobook players all have speed controls that let you make them go faster.

lioeters 4y ago
That reminds me when I learned how blind people use the screen reader, the setting for the voice can be at an incredibly fast speed, where the words turn into "bits" of sound. I know people who watch YouTube videos like that, and my brain cannot process spoken words so fast. It also reminds me of hip hop, some of those raps are like a machine gun of words that overload the brain. It's probably about personal preferences in "modes of thinking", visual, verbal, auditory, etc. I much prefer to read something than to watch a video or listen to audio, and can consume information the quickest.
- BugsJustFindMe 4y ago
  > my brain cannot process spoken words that fast Not at first. This is something that people train themselves to do gradually. For me it didn't take very long to get to 3x playback speed for audiobooks, which untrained people usually find incomprehensible, but I started out much slower and then increased the speed a little every day because I wanted to be able to listen to more books.
  - lioeters 4y ago
    That's interesting to know. It makes sense, it's a listening skill that can be developed. I've always wanted to deepen my knowledge of web accessibility, and get more familiar with screen readers - but was afraid it might be too frustrating to navigate while listening to a voice, slow enough to understand. Now I know, it just takes practice. Thanks!
    - knaik94 4y ago
      Youtube videos with closed captions on are a nice way to ease into it. There's chrome extensions to increase the speed over the '2x' playback option youtube gives you. I personally don't enjoy podcasts at above 1.3x to 1.5x speed but when I am reading along with subtitles, I can increase the speed easily to 2.7x+. I don't think I did any specific practice. After a certain amount of minutes, at 1.5x speed, the cadence of lectures at high speed start to feel normal and going back to 1.0x speed feels slow, as if it was 0.7x speed. Sort of like an audio illusion. It reminds me of the feeling you get when you have been on a highway at a high speed for hours on a road trip. For whatever reason, my brain stops understanding how fast the "slow" speed of 20mph is is. So it feels extra slow even though relative to walking it's really fast. Recently I came across Jump Cutter https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jump-cutter/lmppdpldfpfdlipofacekcfleacbbncp https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/jump-cutter/lmppdp... which is an extension to speed up silences while keeping spoken audio at normal speed. You can customize it, but it's been an interesting experience, the audio is at an effective 1.9x speed while only being 1.4x during the spoken section. Screen readers have a place, but the value in screen readers for the non-visually impaired is limited to the text-to-speech function. After a certain point, the synthetic voices and physics make it hard to produce intelligible sounds even if your brain can process it faster. Certain sounds end up getting cut or the software starts skipping words and it not something you can fix for every scenario. https://github.com/espeak-ng/espeak-ng/issues/131 https://github.com/espeak-ng/espeak-ng/issues/131 an ongoing thread talking about how this can be mitigated. I also know that some visually impaired people get used to certain voices to the point where they can make at words at a higher speed using a specific voice compared to others. The robot voices easier to understand than the more human sounding ones. Getting to 3x is much much easier than you imagine, it will take less than an hour if you increase the speed by 0.2x every 15ish minutes. You get used to it really quickly. The human brain is pretty fantastic in that regard. I personally found that past 2.7x speed, even if I can understand the words, I can't comprehend new ideas and words fast enough for it to make sense and I end up having to pause. There definitely is a a point of diminishing returns, and for me it's around 2.6x, 2.7x. It depends on the lecturer cadence though. If you want simple emulation of navigating using a screen reader, navigating having disabled your mouse is a good starting point. NVDA is the gold standard for screen readers.

tomjen3 4y ago

You can play them at faster than normal speed in the audible player, but I have to ask you a question, do you also find movies slow? For my personal use, I tend to do podcasts/audiobooks in my car and sometimes when doing chores around the apartment. I can't read while I am driving or vacuuming, but neither takes much mental capacity.

Agingcoder 4y ago
Interesting question. No, I don't find movies slow. The rhythm of a film is the one that was decided by the filmmaker, so it's part of the experience(at least for fiction). For fiction books, since the book is written, I expect to be able to read it at my own pace, and since I am a very fast reader, I usually end up 'waiting' in an audiobook, without getting anything extra in compensation. In other words, I'm frustrated by the fact that I could read much faster, but can't. I can understand from the previous answers that there are audiobooks/dramas with high production value though. I'll look into this. In such a case, I guess I should view the audiobook as a different object, i.e some kind of adaptation, much like books are turned into films. Non fiction is completely different - I very much dislike anything audio/video. I need a book, since I want to be able to jump around non linearly (go back , skip, stop, explore this bit/ask a question , etc).

em-bee 4y ago

reading requires 100% focus. you can't listen to anything else. you can't use your hands unless you read off a computer screen, and then you still need to switch pages somehow, you can't move around either. people watch tv on a treadmill, but reading won't work because you need to keep the focus on the current line. reading while commuting with public transport works at least. on the other hand listening opens up a number of other activities at the same time. i started listening on my commute. when that went away i discovered going for a walk as a replacement exercise and as a great way to get some listening time in. in fact because i want to get more time to listen, i end up going for longer walks. besides audiobooks i also listen to audio drama and podcasts. i started with the latter. audio books came later, when i decided that i wanted to read more, and it allowed me to start picking up some books without changing my habits. i love reading. i was a bookworm when i was a kid. i stopped because i got to busy and just would not find the time. i was also traveling a lot and didn't want to carry books around. if i pick up something to read now i loose track of time.

JohnFen 4y ago
> on the other hand listening opens up a number of other activities at the same time. Not for everybody. I can't listen to an audiobook and do anything else at all if I expect to be able to actually absorb what I'm hearing. I find it amazing that other people can do that. Perhaps Agingcoder is like me.

ddingus 4y ago

I find them slow too. Depending on the author, I can read a novel in an evening. Mostly, I do quick bursts for time reasons. My average is a few nights. An audio book can take a long time. Listening fast is a mixed bag. I generally have a poor experience. And I can take aural "input" quickly, and do that when it is about learning something, not pleasure. A while back, I gave audio books another try. My brother in law loves them, BTW. He encouraged me to try again largely because he had one he wanted me to comment on. I find my ability to visualize, become immersed in the story to the point where I do not notice I am reading is not as well developed when listening! For me, this is my number one reason for not using audiobooks. For my brother in law it is the opposite! I find it hard to restart sometimes too. Have to go back some and let the book ramp up. This is near instant when I read. Maybe go back a page or few tops, if it has been a while. I need to ramp up on a listen every time. I bet something along these lines drives people to on medium or other. People appear to vary widely. That said, audio books have some great use cases: When reading, many labors can't be done. Listening works along with many labors. This is compelling! I personally prefer podcasts, but audio books will plug right in here. I already mentioned immersion differences. Some people really enjoy the readers inflection and characterization. I like this too. It is one of the better things about audio books, assuming one has some affinity for a reader. There definitely is potential for pleasure here. A great reader does add to the experience. Shared reading! This one surprised me! I know a couple who listen together while doing other projects. Pretty cool! They just have it playing and do whatever they are doing. That is all I got. Maybe it is useful perspective from a reader who prefers visually reading a book, but who has also appreciated audio books.