Are Audiobooks REALLY Reading?

Articles I Enjoyed:
- www.danielwillingham.com/danie... audio-book-cheating
- journals.sagepub.com/doi/full...
- time.com/5388681/audiobooks-r...
- www.thecut.com/2016/08/listen...
- www.cdl.org/the-simple-view-o...
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[@zachryder3150]

Me who listens to the audiobook while I'm reading it: " I'm playing both sides, that way I always

[@alexsantos-hc4io]

Personally, the biggest benefit to listening is that i'm not a native English speaker, so listening to audiobooks help-me comprehend better the language.

[@shree7340]

In audiobooks, one is consuming stories, learning pronunciation by "Listening". So it's not reading but listening and as long as one is learning things it's fine but whoever calls it reading is wrong. It's just another medium of consuming things.

[@isastar940]

Audio books are pretty amazing, also they mean that ppl who are blind or with severe vision impairments, can experience the joy of a great story.

[@punology6829]

of course it's really reading. for many disabled people, audiobooks are the only way they're able to read. how mean it would be to say it doesn't count

[@Angenga]

Having ADHD, reading the text while listening to the audiobook has allowed me to read 30+ books a year where before it'd be a good year if i read 5

[@FlameHashiraAries]

Using the bike example, the reason I say audio books isn't reading is because if you used a car to get to the location you would say "I drove here" but for some reason people say "I biked here" which isn't true. The amount of effort doesn't matter I agree. It just bugs me when people "listen" to a book and not "read" a book. That's the ONLY thing I don't like about it haha

[@litlbucky]

Depending on narrator, and enjoy audiobooks more than reading physical book. They add a different level to the story and help me picture the story better. Plus audiobooks work out better for me while driving to work.

[@pistaalkohol]

"Audiobooks are cheating" sounds like, that it was said by someone who was forced to read for a student assignment.

[@lynnbraden1044]

My problem with audiobooks doesn't have anything to do with cheating, decoding, or comprehension. I believe that a book is communication between an author and a reader. When there is an audio of a book, the narrator interferes with that communication. I've heard so many reviewers suggesting that readers listen to an audiobook rather than reading the book physically because it is so much better that way. That statement just proves my point. The reviewer is making their observation based on the narrator, not on the book itself. If the reviewer needs the narration in order to enjoy the book, then the book isn't very good.

[@RICHIEV333]

Audio Books:

[@allieasbill2055]

I am a visual person, I love reading physical books, and when I listen to audio books I have to “reread” passages way more often. My younger sister is the exact opposite. She can look at a school instruction a dozen times and not understand it until it is read aloud to her. I think a major factor in audio vs visual books is how your brain best processes input information.

[@proxy287]

I drive an hour to work, work 8 hours, then drive and hour home and my book addiction needs to compete with my video game and manga addiction but I can't read manga or play videogames at work or while driving so when I can read a 700 page book in 1 day when It used to take me months that's pretty cool

[@claudiusaugustus4526]

Reading a physical book is faster, but with audiobooks, you can work or drive simultaneously

[@mariajohnson2294]

This reminds me a lot of the discussion of writing on paper versus typing. Everyone says you can't learn through typing. It isn't HOW it is WHAT you get used to. I am physically disabled. I haven't been able to handwrite more than a paragraph since I was 9. I only type. Since that is my ONLY option, I am used to it and I can learn that way. Same goes for audiobooks. I am severely dyslexic. I can't read on my own practically at all. If I can't hear it, I don't know what it says. I am 95% reliant on audio. I have no idea what it feels like to learn through reading. I only know audio learning. I developed that skill to a high level. If you don't own a car, you are going to be really good at bicycling. I just mean, if you take out options, then whatever you are left with will be the best way to do that thing and your best way to succeed. Having options is what causes these discussions. I have NO options when it comes to reading and writing. I can ONLY type and listen; therefore, I am really good at it and it is really effective for me.

[@stevenramirez8007]

I've discovered, personally for me, Audiobooks actually help me get out of reading slumps. I do prefer physical reading because I am a visual learner but audiobooks definitely have they're perks to them and have helped me out of reading slumps which I find good because slumps are terrible. I also find that listening to an audiobook while physically reading the same book and following along help as well but these are my personal experiences. Both are great and beneficial!

[@BookStuffWithIzzyK]

Thanks for doing this. Like you, I was diagnosed with a condition that makes reading comprehension potentially one of the most difficult things in the world. I was diagnosed with ADHD.

[@LezbiNerdy]

I think one of the things people forget -- or like, assume is a sign that audio is bad -- is that you can rewind and listen when your mind wanders. I've had this discussion so many times with people, and that is always the question -- "what about when your mind wanders, or you get focused on something and you don't take it in? That's the problem with audio!"

[@phen0menos]

Great video! One difference you didn't touch on is that an audiobook is (in my opinion) one extra layer removed from the author's story, because you're getting it through the lens of the narrator's interpretation. Audiobook narration is an art form and different narrators will interpret and deliver a story differently, that's why people are able to have discussions about their favourite and least favourite narrators. This can be either a pro or a con depending on your subjective opinion. A good narrator can really elevate a story! But in the same way a bad narrator can make it difficult to listen to. The worst is when a series switches narrators midway through and the narrators pronounce some names differently!

[@AndiBfishbowlwoman]

One thing I never really considered until recently about audiobooks is how much influence the narrator has on creating the characters they read. I recently listened to a very popular book that everyone seems to love, and I