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Video was a mistake. Even high quality YouTube tech channels (like GamersNexus) work far better in a text format where you can compare benchmark results without

Video was a mistake. Even high quality YouTube tech channels (like GamersNexus) work far better in a text format where you can compare benchmark results without running the video in mpv, taking dozens of screenshots, and then painstakingly comparing them. And that channel has a charismatic anchor, unlike many. At least they have a website with the same material. Have a look at rtings and try to come up with an idea how to make this work in a video format: https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wireless https://www.rtings.com/headphones/reviews/sony/wh-1000xm4-wi... https://www.rtings.com/mouse/reviews/logitech/g305-lightspeed https://www.rtings.com/mouse/reviews/logitech/g305-lightspee... without losing 90% of information and getting shitty jokes instead.

keiferski 2y ago
It doesn't really matter if it "was a mistake," because it's what the market is asking for. Cars were probably a mistake ecologically, vs. horses, but it's what we've got.
- steve-rambo-fan 2y ago
  Sure, but the least we can do is support the few sane places that still remain, like rtings. Lest they follow the way of AnandTech and we're forced to scroll through hours of video to get the same information contained in a ten-minute text article, with interactive charts and comparison tools.
  - keiferski 2y ago
    I agree, but unfortunately that support doesn't seem to be widespread enough to sustain these kinds of things. At this point, I think efforts would be better placed in making a method that enables videos to be viewed in a way akin to text. AI transcription tools are getting there, so I think it might just be a matter of time.
- emn13 2y ago
  Was the market asking for tech review videos, or was the market asking for a platform that helps select, curate, and present content? If this trend were merely about format, then websites that just host videos would be a viable model - they're not really. I think this is more about the power of platforms than of the format. I'm sure the format _also_ helps, given how donation-dependent small-scale publishers are which works best if publishers are humanized, but I'd guess the more impactful matter is the way platforms can keep consumers onboard and help them discover new publishers than the format.
  - keiferski 2y ago
    My experience is that for 95% of people under the age of 30, their media consumption is almost entirely video. That's simply the way it is, fortunately or unfortunately. And these tech review YouTube channels seems to do quite well for themselves, dramatically better than the equivalent text-only sites.
    - mezzie2 2y ago
      A large portion of people are genuinely or functionally illiterate. Like we're supposed to pitch general material at ~ a 5th or 6th grade reading level because that's the average. Half of people can't even do that. I have daily encounters with adults who work corporate jobs/own businesses who can't interpret compound sentences. I can't use conjunctions or sentences with multiple clauses, etc. This is going to get worse: the elementary and middle school teachers/education professionals have been screaming at us that there's a major issue with reading in the upcoming generation due to a change in how many schools taught reading for several years that turned out to be a horrible idea. Add the pandemic on top of it (because losing a year of learning is a big deal at the elementary school level), and now we have a generation who can't read. I think we're going back to having a literate class and a non-literate class, honestly. I can't see us putting in the time, money, and effort to fix the situation. Instead we'll just change formats (and probably have a bunch of middle men pop up that turn text into video with AI for the illiterate). We're never going to see general purpose text again as a culture. Text will only be primary in certain audiences. (Lawyers, software people, librarians, etc.)
- walthamstow 2y ago
  I don't agree that the market (consumers) are asking for video, they just refuse to pay for words, while Google (not the consumer) will pay for videos.
  - keiferski 2y ago
    Video is increasingly becoming the dominant way people use the internet: As of 2023, roughly 65% of all internet traffic came from video sites,[4] up from 51% in 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_traffic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_traffic
- ndiddy 2y ago
  Horses caused a huge pollution problem in urban areas. By the 1890s, New York City had over 100,000 horses, which produced over 2.5 million pounds of manure per day. The streets were covered with manure and dead horse carcuses. Cars were seen as the far cleaner alternative.
- Lammy 2y ago
  > it's what the market is asking for Facebook, for example, famously misrepresented market demand for video. Video is what advertisers were asking for: https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/facebook-online-video-pivot-metrics-false.html https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/facebook-online-video-p...

keiferski 2y ago

It doesn't really matter if it "was a mistake," because it's what the market is asking for. Cars were probably a mistake ecologically, vs. horses, but it's what we've got.

steve-rambo-fan 2y ago
Sure, but the least we can do is support the few sane places that still remain, like rtings. Lest they follow the way of AnandTech and we're forced to scroll through hours of video to get the same information contained in a ten-minute text article, with interactive charts and comparison tools.
- keiferski 2y ago
  I agree, but unfortunately that support doesn't seem to be widespread enough to sustain these kinds of things. At this point, I think efforts would be better placed in making a method that enables videos to be viewed in a way akin to text. AI transcription tools are getting there, so I think it might just be a matter of time.
emn13 2y ago
Was the market asking for tech review videos, or was the market asking for a platform that helps select, curate, and present content? If this trend were merely about format, then websites that just host videos would be a viable model - they're not really. I think this is more about the power of platforms than of the format. I'm sure the format _also_ helps, given how donation-dependent small-scale publishers are which works best if publishers are humanized, but I'd guess the more impactful matter is the way platforms can keep consumers onboard and help them discover new publishers than the format.
- keiferski 2y ago
  My experience is that for 95% of people under the age of 30, their media consumption is almost entirely video. That's simply the way it is, fortunately or unfortunately. And these tech review YouTube channels seems to do quite well for themselves, dramatically better than the equivalent text-only sites.
  - mezzie2 2y ago
    A large portion of people are genuinely or functionally illiterate. Like we're supposed to pitch general material at ~ a 5th or 6th grade reading level because that's the average. Half of people can't even do that. I have daily encounters with adults who work corporate jobs/own businesses who can't interpret compound sentences. I can't use conjunctions or sentences with multiple clauses, etc. This is going to get worse: the elementary and middle school teachers/education professionals have been screaming at us that there's a major issue with reading in the upcoming generation due to a change in how many schools taught reading for several years that turned out to be a horrible idea. Add the pandemic on top of it (because losing a year of learning is a big deal at the elementary school level), and now we have a generation who can't read. I think we're going back to having a literate class and a non-literate class, honestly. I can't see us putting in the time, money, and effort to fix the situation. Instead we'll just change formats (and probably have a bunch of middle men pop up that turn text into video with AI for the illiterate). We're never going to see general purpose text again as a culture. Text will only be primary in certain audiences. (Lawyers, software people, librarians, etc.)
walthamstow 2y ago
I don't agree that the market (consumers) are asking for video, they just refuse to pay for words, while Google (not the consumer) will pay for videos.
- keiferski 2y ago
  Video is increasingly becoming the dominant way people use the internet: As of 2023, roughly 65% of all internet traffic came from video sites,[4] up from 51% in 2016. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_traffic https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_traffic
ndiddy 2y ago
Horses caused a huge pollution problem in urban areas. By the 1890s, New York City had over 100,000 horses, which produced over 2.5 million pounds of manure per day. The streets were covered with manure and dead horse carcuses. Cars were seen as the far cleaner alternative.
Lammy 2y ago
> it's what the market is asking for Facebook, for example, famously misrepresented market demand for video. Video is what advertisers were asking for: https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/facebook-online-video-pivot-metrics-false.html https://slate.com/technology/2018/10/facebook-online-video-p...