https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is_wu0VRIqQ
Recent meme post prompted this as a needed reminder of what the issue with audio is, and how it should be fixed legislatively in a civilized world.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Is_wu0VRIqQ
Recent meme post prompted this as a needed reminder of what the issue with audio is, and how it should be fixed legislatively in a civilized world.
Dynamic range and loudness normalisation are surely the main reason people are using subtitles, but habits are undeniably also changing too, as is the way people consume media in general.
People don’t just look at the TV for an hour straight - they are doing other things, or second-screening, or having conversations, and multiple methods being available to pick up on the show dialog is helpful.
Let’s not forget simple reasons like accessibility, either. My friend here in the UK is Hungarian, and despite being completely fluent in English he always likes to watch shows with subtitles as it helps with understanding some British accents which can be tricky for non-natives.
And people just process information in different ways. We’ve all heard by now that some individuals can be visually oriented, while other people are aural. If you get a choice, why not take it?
Not to mention that subs on streaming services are much better visual quality and timing than subs on broadcast TV used to be, which felt nasty and mis-timed, and very second-class. Clearly ‘good enough’ for hard of hearing individuals but not very pleasant.
I don’t think it’s a hot take to say that as accessibility features get better and more available, more people will use them. And accessibility is for everyone.
I think you’re missing the point. Lack of LUFS standards is what forces people that normally wouldn’t/don’t like to use subtitles to use them because they can’t understand dialogue otherwise.
I don’t disagree with that.
OP noted they posted this in response to this other post in memes which says “The majority of Milennials and Gen Z watch TV with subtitles on” - the point of this Tom Scott post being to say it’s not actually a generational issue, it’s about volume normalisation (or the lack of)
I also agree it’s likely mostly about volume normalisation, and my point is only that there are other factors at play also. We can’t definitively say “volume problems are the whole reason people with normal hearing are using subtitles” because that dismisses a load of other contributing elements or ways the world has changed in the last few decades, as I mentioned in my previous comment.
People aren’t the same as they were 20 years ago and the world isn’t the same either, with different behaviours, habits and preferences. There are lots of factors for subtitle use in hearing people, not just the (admittedly awful) volume.