4 ms·
The depth of a book is vastly different than the 10min youtube video summarizing said book. I’ve tried both modern and legacy form factors and honestly I’m on c
by Swizec 3y ago
The depth of a book is vastly different than the 10min youtube video summarizing said book. I’ve tried both modern and legacy form factors and honestly I’m on camp book more and more as the years go on.
The modern stuff feels like total fluff compared to a book, which in turn feel like total fluff compared to the academic papers it is based on. These days I would rather spend 2 hours reading a good book or paper than 10 minutes watching an engagement-optimized edutainment video.
And for the really good stuff you have to go even more legacy – conversation with an expert. A medium older even than books. That’s where you get the stuff that hasn’t made it into papers yet, let alone the downstream half-digested edutainment stuff.
- marcosdumay 3y ago> The depth of a book is vastly different than the 10min youtube video summarizing said book. Yep, it appears that the deepest format we have today is long-form hypertext. Often containing a few 10min videos itself. Some people do equate those with books, but it's far from unanimous.
- Swizec 3y agoHey if you’re getting the depth of a book, it’s a book no matter the format. My objection is to surface level edutainment formats that feed your brain chicken nuggets but trick you into thinking it was steak. Lots of surface level books that are the length of a book and the value of a 5min tiktok too.
- rurp 3y agoI got back into reading books after a long hiatus and was pleasantly surprised by how much I missed them. The depth of thought and nuance is just totally different than an article or youtube video. I still consume plenty of modern media but feel like I get more out of books on average. For anyone who wants to get back into reading books my advice is to start with whatever sounds fun. A lot of people fall into a trap of feeling like they need to read something useful or serious and just get turned off to the idea. But reading lighter books are still great and provide a lot that you won't get from tv and similar mediums. Over time your interests will evolve naturally into new areas.
- UtopiaPunk 3y agoDo you read fiction?
- Swizec 3y agoYes. Same thing applies: the book is deeper and more nuanced than the movie. There’s just more room. Modern 8 to 10 episode series can get close to being as nuanced as a good book. You simply need space to go deep, no amount of cleverness will help you do that in a short format.