In our current world where everything is fast-paced and instantaneous, we must keep up.
If this is a competition, GenZs surely win. Imagine watching Netflix and TikTok videos at 2x speed. This is known as “speed watching,” commonly practiced by Gen Zs.
This method is not only applicable to binge-watching movies but also to watching recorded video lectures for school.
This leaves us with the question, does speed watching compromise learning?
WHY BINGE-WATCH?
Simple. Gen Zs binge-watch to save time and consuming a plethora of media content in a shorter time creates a new level of binge-watching experience because they can manipulate the number of hours they wish to spend.
Based on a Teller Report, 40% of young audiences recently engaged with speed watching. This means that users can increase their watching speed. YouTube and other streaming platforms have already incorporated speed adjustment features that enable users to manipulate the speed of the media content they are consuming.
SHORTER ATTENTION SPAN
Fast-forwarding videos are caused by people’s shorter attention spans. The National Center for Biotechnology Information said that the average attention span of people dropped from 12 seconds in 2000 to 8 seconds in 2013. The Technical University of Denmark researchers explained that this is caused by the insurmountable information that people need to focus on in a shorter amount of time, hence, making people lose the patience to consume information at a normal pace.
IS BINGE WATCHING BAD OR GOOD?
The nature of speed watching is decreasing the amount of time consumption for certain media outlets to make room for more media content.
Does the fact that this applies to video lectures for school mean that users are prioritizing quantity over quality?
A study conducted by UCLA Psychology Professors found that watching videos and lectures even at 2x speed still helps students retain sets of information in their brains.
In their findings, students who increase their video speed absorb the same details and information as those who watch video lectures at a normal speed. The advantage that the former has is the shorter amount of time they spend to absorb the information.
