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Life Happens at 1x Speed

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Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#4
post #3

I honestly never understood why people listen to or watch things sped up. For me, doing that just sucks the joy out of the thing and impairs overall comprehension.

I can't focus on normal speed. In person people talk faster at least (& I can ask them to pick up the pace, as rude as that may be)

I have attention deficit. For me adjusting speed is an a11y feature to put load on my cognition so it doesn't wander

Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#5
I consume most of my video/audio informational content at 1.5x or faster. It wasn't FOMO or that I felt unproductive. I just felt that some of the content was going too slow for my thought process and leaving me kind of hanging, waiting for the next bit of information so I could continue coming up with my conclusions about the topic. But if I'm slower that day or feel that the topic is too dense, I don't mind at all slowing it down or even pausing it.

To me, it just feels like when I scan some text with the eyes looking for the juicier parts or hooks that I most care about. Speaking of which, I much prefer to consume content as text than audio or video. I can scan, seek, pause, think, go back at will without fiddling with any controls.

Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#6
The text reads nice and feels smart, but is there really an argument in there?

Not sure why I should confirm exactly to the one speed that the creators of the media choose. Certainly my motives for choosing the perfect speed will differ from that of someone who has a capitalistic interest in mass consume of theirs product.

Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#8
I don't fully agree with the "if something isn’t worth consuming at 1x, it’s not worth consuming at all" part. Sometimes you find a great video or podcast, but the person speaking simply speaks slowly. Or you've just watched/listened to someone who speaks quickly (like Louis Rossman for example), and gotten used to the speed.

Other times you just want to skim through the content, for example if you're already familiar with the topic, although you could argue that it's not really worth spending time on skimming something you're already familiar with.

But I definitely agree with the "quality filter" part. There's so much content out there that just doesn't have much substance to it.

Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#9
"if something isn’t worth consuming at 1x, it’s not worth consuming at all"

Depends A LOT on what kind of content you're watching.

I've been studying physics lately and a lecturer talks slowly so 2x makes a lot of sense. Maybe even I know the subject somewhat but I believe the lecturer has a few insights or connections to point out that I haven't seen. But perhaps it's burried in the middle of the lecture. It really doesn't make sense to listen to the whole lecture at 1x speed. Much better to 2x to the "unfamiliar part" and then rewatch and carefully consider that part at 1x speed.

Also, some very intelligent people just speak/think slowly. They have interesting things to say but slowly.

On the other hand, if you're watching a highly-produced video (such as a movie), I think it's quite ridiculous to watch it at any speed other than 1x. It was paced that way for a reason (if it's worth watching).

I don't really understand why folks have to be so "binary" about playback speed.

Re: Life Happens at 1x Speed

#10
1.1x is my default setting in pocket casts, with a couple at 1.2x and others at 1x.

I don't need to hear more content more quickly, it's just that some readers/presenters talk very slowly and my ears find the cadence - not the slower reveal of information - a bit frustrating.

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