How Do You Consume Content?

[karlimarie]

I’ve been thinking about how technology has changed the online landscape through the years. There was a time when blogs and forums were blowing up but now there’s so many alternatives like Facebook group and Substack. YouTube channels have more views than broadcast television. More people get their news from media than newspapers or radio. Podcasts exploded on to the scene and now many of them have turned into video podcasts. And now it seems like every platform has their version of short-form content to keep up with TikTok.

Anyway, it has me curious- how do you prefer to digest content?

Blogs? Podcasts? Videos? Short-form content? Live streaming? Reading physical copy?

Do you like that content across the board? Or do you like certain content for certain things? Like- podcasts for news but videos for education experiences; or audiobooks for fiction and physical books for nonfiction? Etc.

 

[mmbstaley]

Gah, I can't keep up these days. I have always preferred reading things, it's the way I digest info and remember best. All of the fancy videos and podcasts are not my preferred way usually. That makes me old school now

 

[Cheryl Ashcraft]

If I'm watching content that's not a movie or a series (that I usually consume on Netflix and Amazon), I am usually watching YouTube and my favorite topics are scrapbooking, scrapbooking process videos, older true crime series, new series from podcasters that have made YT videos spinning off their podcasts, home decorating, tiny homes, DIY restoration of furniture, homes, videos about miniatures, and old movies.

The news I get from my hubby as he has several YT channels he watches that focus on current events and I'm usually in the same room cross stitching. That's about all of that content I can handle. I actually do enjoy listening to The Daily Beast. They quite amuse me.

I do not enjoy audio books. My mind tends to wander. I'll be paying attention the book, and then I find myself "waking up" and realizing that several minutes have gone by and I don't know where I left off. Thus begins the dreaded rewind, listen, zone out while listening, rewinding again. Almost exclusively, my book reading is from books I've collected or the library. I will read e-books especially when traveling as it takes the weight off and I can carry so many books! I rarely read non-fiction, although I just finished a non-fiction book about the Black Dahlia.

When Daniel was in middle school and the school was a good drive time away, rather than sitting in traffic, I would leave home early and get in the car rider line. I would then listen to podcasts while I cross stitched. It was a good hour that was just mine with no distraction. The podcast content was true crime. Daniel was happy because I would be there waiting for him and he could escape quickly. My favorite podcasts during that time were The Teacher's Pet and Root of Evil.

I prefer longer content, but I doom scroll if I click on a Reel on Facebook. Most of those videos are still longer than other shorter content. I do watch Shorts from time-to-time.

 

[Cheryl Ashcraft]

Gah, I can't keep up these days. I have always preferred reading things, it's the way I digest info and remember best. All of the fancy videos and podcasts are not my preferred way usually. That makes me old school now

That doesn't make you old school! It's just your preferred way of ingesting content. I can't keep up with everything either. @Studio Liv is who keeps me up on the newest trends. I can tell, though, that I'm starting to slow down somehow. Like current music, for instance. I don't listen to it as much as I used to, preferring to listen to my 80's playlists and 40's and 50's music.

 

[mmbstaley]

I do not enjoy audio books. My mind tends to wander. I'll be paying attention the book, and then I find myself "waking up" and realizing that several minutes have gone by and I don't know where I left off. Thus begins the dreaded rewind, listen, zone out while listening, rewinding again. Almost exclusively, my book reading is from books I've collected or the library. I will read e-books especially when traveling as it takes the weight off and I can carry so many books! I rarely read non-fiction, although I just finished a non-fiction book about the Black Dahlia.

I can't do audio books either usually for the same reason, Cheryl.

I have found I can listen to podcasts some, but it depends on what else I'm trying to do while I'm listening- how much brain focus it takes from me. The subject matter also makes a difference. Scrapbooking podcasts like the old DigiFiles and Simple Scrapper can usually hold my attention well

 

[Cheryl Ashcraft]

Scrapbooking podcasts like the old DigiFiles and Simple Scrapper can usually hold my attention well

I miss the older scrapbooking podcasts. Now I just have a huge list of scrappers that I watch create layouts.

 

[mmbstaley]

I have put on your youtube videos sometimes Cheryl. I tend to watch things I don't have to pay too close attention to while I'm scrapping though - it takes too much brain power to make scrapping decisions

If I watch a video I usually want written instructions to go with so I don't have to watch it again usually. Sometimes there are things to pick up through a video that aren't in the written steps.

Overall there is just too much content out there and not enough time in the day to keep up with it all. Endless scrolling consumes me sometimes though and then I feel like I've wasted a chunk of time.

 

[Cheryl Ashcraft]

Overall there is just too much content out there and not enough time in the day to keep up with it all. Endless scrolling consumes me sometimes though and then I feel like I've wasted a chunk of time.

Girl, I know! I've really been limiting when and how much I scroll. It's hard though when I'm tired but not sleepy, and then before you know it, I've been scrolling for WAYYYY too long!

 

[LynnZant]

I watch Netflix and read books on my phone, and I watch YouTube content on my desktop. I have been making it a point lately to get out of the house and actually talk with people. (Something I've never done much before) Super old school!

 

[Sherly]

I really prefer still photos over videos that most of the time sped up and skip a lot of reality.
I prefer reading than live show.
I am in the old school group too.

 

[HavaDrPepper]

I actually still prefer forums (like this) than Facebook groups. Facebook's algorithm doesn't always show me everything from those groups so I miss a lot.

Audio books are a no for me. I would miss so much due to hearing issues. Same with podcasts. I did make one exception and listened to a podcast through Amazon Music this past winter. It was a podcast about a legal case I've been following since early 2024. It is a wild case and the podcast laid it all out so that it all makes sense. But I couldn't do anything else while listening. I had to concentrate on it. Actually, I should really listen to it again. Maybe after vacation.

Because of that legal case, I've gotten into watching YouTube live streams from certain creators that have streamed about it. Through them I've found others that I enjoy. And, lately I've gotten into watching videos of creators playing games.

As for news, I do have my TV on news from about 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. After that I turn the volume down so it is just background noise to keep the tinnitus buzzing in my brain from being too loud. I do watch another news show at 5 p.m. while I eat. After that if I'm not watching something on streaming or YouTube, the TV is on Oxygen channel. True crime all day long!

And, I don't consume any content on my phone. The screen is too small for me to read. I do have a Kindle for reading (or my tablet with the Kindle app) but otherwise, I'm always using my computer with dual screens.

 

[EvelynD2]

I love to listen to audio books when I am in the car or when I am doing housework. For movies, I love to watch older movies from Fandango, TubiTV and Plex. I have been hooked on watching a bunch of old but good black and white mystery and thriller movies. I usually read news online. I used to listen to podcasts when I worked for our older daughter for her Etsy shop but don't listen to them that much anymore.

 

[jk703]

I'm all over the place. Oddly, I don't read read hand-held books, lol! I switched to digital and audio 100% - one at home/work, and one in my car.

Streaming - Peacock, Paramount or Netflix.
Books - Spotify or Kindle.
TV - Cable.
Short Vids - Instagram, FB, sometimes TT if its sent to me.

I do have a tendency to see something, then pause, go google, read about it, and come back. I don't watch you tube much. I also need to have background noise - so if I'm on my couch reading, I will have a movie I've seen on in the background.

 

[MommaTrish]

I am sort of everywhere on how I consume things. For news I still mostly go by news radio and trusted source websites.
Magazines I consume through e-readers, BUT I still buy my kids physical ones.

Blogs…. Eh. Pass. After maintaining one for years I stopped reading them well before they phased out of popularity outside of maybe the one here and Traci’s.

Books I consume every way I can get them. Physical, digital, audio. I usually have three to four going at once - a physical book, a digital one, an audio one and a WEBTOON.

Shows and movies and all that is streaming.

 

[Robin Carlton]

I am an old school girly through and through. I have hated social media since day one (just ask the team). I absolutely prefer long form / slow content like forums, reddit, research. I prefer reading and replying to posts over "liking" anything for the most part, though I will say that I have REALLY enjoyed the reactions / notifications here in our updated forums because it's nice to be able to reply immediately to someone who has said something to me or let someone know directly that I love their page, post, comment, etc. I just like genuine interactions, commentary and connecting with people, I think.

I am a pop culture fanatic, so I love music, concerts, gaming, reality TV, true crime, and I would say on those topics, I'll go where the content is what I am looking for. I have obviously used YouTube, Twitch, Discord, Reddit, etc if there is a topic I am looking to expand my knowledge on or just enjoy watching or seeing more of. There are a couple of streamers / youtubers that I do enjoy and will watch fairly regularly.

In general, I avoid FB, TikTok, X and even IG on a consumption basis. They just really aren't my thing. I don't really like or enjoy the scroll / swipe / double tap process of consuming and interacting with that kind of content. It doesn't "click" with me the same way chatting here or reading something does.

I will say, my 23 year old gets in bed with us late and night sometimes and scrolls TikTok for a bit and I DO enjoy that time with her. It's a silly and a fun way to stay on top of what's going on in those channels, but I don't have it on my phone and have no desire to.

All of that said, I DO love technology in general. I stay on top of computers, phones, gaming consoles, streaming platforms, etc. and would consider myself pretty savvy in that department. I just prefer the old school way of connecting with humans maybe?

 

[littlekiwi]

Depends, I'm mostly a digital scrapbooking forums, interest groups on Facebook, Facebook in general, Instagram, I do watch stuff on TikTok a bit. For news etc it's radio, online news sites and the odd newspaper. I do watch a bit of stuff online too, mainly the three free platforms for tv and then from September to February or March I subscribe to Disney + for ESPN so I can watch my fave basketball teams. I have subscribed to Spotify premium through my phone plan but while I'm at home more I haven't bothered.