Video killed the bookworm

I love to read. I used to read a lot. In fact, I was never even a fan of podcasts, let alone videocasts. However, I realize now that I've been consuming most of my information through videos. I do occasionally take the time to read, although it's mostly email - specifically, there is one mailing list of sorts I'm subscribed to. Actually, make that two, but the second one has lost my interest, so while I'm still subscribed it just fills my inbox while I muster the courage to select-all and delete.

Anyway, back to the first one. An article caught my attention today, and I clicked on it and started reading it.

My attention was drawn by the headline, of course, which set this article apart from others in the newsletter like bonobos' use of combining sounds to produce more nuanced and complex expressions, and something about dinosaurs drinking water beside their prey at ancient water bodies(!)

I digress though. The article read like any other, until I happened to notice the name of the author. Sabine! She was the person who introduced me to nautilus, probably from a sponsorship embedded in one of her videos. And yes, I subscribe to her science news videocast. My mind instantly switched from "reading" to a simulated narration of the article in her voice, complete with her German intonation and characteristic facial expressions (she is a pretty good science videocaster, I'd say!)

The change in my reading experience stunned me. 

Reading may be efficient, but listening and watching people speak taps into our humanity... even if it's something as dry as competing theories for cosmic inflation, and the listening and watching is run by a wildly imperfect simulation in my head. 

It's no wonder video killed my inner bookworm.