Read vs Watch

To learn something, some people read, some people watch.

In the context of software engineering, it’s often reading an article or a piece of documentation, vs watching a Youtube video.

I’ve also thought reading is more convenient and efficient than watching, and here’s why.

Pushed / pulled

When reading, you have to actively pull the information by moving your eyes line by line. When watching, the information is pushed to you.

I feel the active effort of pulling information offers better retention of information.

If you read honestly, you have to understand every bit of information, or pause until you do. With a video, it’s too easy to let something go misunderstood because you are already consuming the next bit of information.

Rhythm & Browsing

Reading is wonderful, you can adjust the speed of consumption at will. Read thoroughly line per line, scan paragraph per paragraph, skim page per page, or read slowly every word if the topic is complicated. Reading also allows to skip a whole page or chapter if it’s not interesting or relevant, or come back to some previous page in a glimpse.

With a video, you are forced to follow the rhythm of the presenter. Of course, most of us use the ability to speed up a video x1.5, x2, or even x3, but it can’t be as smooth as simply moving your ocular globes. And it’s way more complicated to find the precise part you want to revisit, even if the video is meticulously chapterized.

Search & Copy

Text is easy to search in, and can be copy pasted. Also it’s easier to update a text.

Best of two worlds

That said, videos do have a significant advantage to display animations or video clips which are parts of the learning. Also, some learners are visual/auditory learners who genuinely learn better from video.

So, the best of two worlds could be a written article which includes not only illustration images, but also short videos to help understanding.