Why is everyone watching TV with the subtitles on? That was the headline of an article published on The Atlantic website on June 6. I thought I was the only one doing this and was intrigued by the headline, so I decided to give it a read. Sometimes it’s good to know you’re not alone.
But, first, a little background. I noticed my adult daughters had subtitles turned on whenever they were streaming a show on my living room TV. And, as such, those settings stuck when I streamed a show. I found it annoying at first, but then I began to like it. Now, I, too, watch every show with subtitles, and I truly prefer it that way.
Devin Gordon, the author of The Atlantic article, feels otherwise. He wrote, “…now I’m reading TV, not watching it. Because now, instead of focusing my attention on the performances, the costumes, the cinematography, the painstakingly mixed sound, and how it all works together to tell a story and transport me into an alternate world, my eyes keep getting yanked downward to read words I can already hear. My soul can’t bear the notion of someone watching ‘The Sopranos’ for the first time and, as Tony wades into the pool, looking down to the bottom of the screen to read [ducks quack].”
He added, “I grew alarmed by the way subtitles seem to be creeping into our homes — an addictive substance like TikTok, which, by the way, deserves some blame for this shift, conditioning multiple generations to watch content with text plastered all over it.”
Ah, so we can blame it on TikTok. I like that. You can read more of Gordon’s rants here.
But how many people actually use subtitles?
Gordon shares in the article that, according to Preston Smalley, Roku’s vice president of viewer product, a 2022 internal survey revealed that 58% of subscribers use subtitles: 36% of them switch the subtitles on because of a diagnosed hearing impairment; 32% do it out of force of habit. (The remaining third cite a stew of situational issues, such as kids sleeping nearby, other people in the room, and poor audio quality.) Many of the people using subtitles, in other words, do not need them.
And that includes me (for the most part, although they do help with my 54-year-old hearing loss). How about you? Subtitles or no subtitles? Shoot me a note and let me know.
Have a thoughtful Thursday, and thanks for reading.
Shane Goodman
President and Publisher
Big Green Umbrella Media
shane@dmcityview.com
515-953-4822, ext. 305
www.thedailyumbrella.com |
