It’s highly dependent on what I’m viewing, of course. Some people just… talk… so… slooowly. If the content is interesting then they get 1.5x. Some people talk a mile a minute with dense information and they get 1x. For myself, 2x is usually too fast to be enjoyable.
98% of the time I want it faster. I don't use arbitrary speeds but rather overshoot what I think I need (which could be based on the pace of the speaker or the time I have available) and then after a minute go down to the target speed (and sometimes rewind back to the start). Overshooting (2x) for 30/90s while wanting 1.5x will make it much easier to listen at just about any speed up to 2.5/3x.
This is an inadequate workaround anyway. You can generally read faster than you can process spoken language. But even more importantly, most of what's usually making the video so long is actual padding of the content.
I don't just want to reduce the time I spend listening to the presenter blather on about irrelevant stuff. I want to reduce the amount of irrelevant stuff the presenter blathers on about.
It depends on the kind of content and information density. My default playback speed is usually 2x, unless the content requires deep focus and thought. For basic fantasy novels I might go up to 3x or 3.5x, unless the author uses a lot of symbolic or complex language. For example: listening to a Gene Wolf audiobook, I don't think I'd be able to really appreciate the full breadth of his writing at anything over 1.5x.
Most modern media just isn't very deep nor trying to layer a lot of interesting symbolism; if it's fairly one-dimensional / one-layered then you can blast through anything at 2x or 3x.
In the modern social media era, it feels like sometimes video content is filled with as much stuff as possible, like with the average MrBeast video, but it's mostly sausage. None of it has any deep meaning nor does it build up to something greater than the sum of its parts.
Didn't read the paywalled article. But imo if it's not worth listening at 1x speed, it's not worth listening at all.
If it's entertainment like audiobooks, it's for my enjoyment, so why should it be faster than 1x? If it's for education, everything faster than 1x makes it hard to understand, and if there is too much filler content, I will find another source to learn about it.
I use 1.5x-2x for stuff I have to listen too, but don't enjoy.
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[ 3.9 ms ] story [ 30.1 ms ] threadUsually 2x is too fast for me but, I may go that fast if I'm "skimming" for interesting content. Then I'll slow it down.
I don't just want to reduce the time I spend listening to the presenter blather on about irrelevant stuff. I want to reduce the amount of irrelevant stuff the presenter blathers on about.
1.4x or 1.5x, depending on recording quality, setting in which I am listening, and speaker clarity.
2x is ok for skimming/reviewing material.
For a couple of podcasts that I really enjoy, will keep it to 1.0x, but still with silence trimming.
Most modern media just isn't very deep nor trying to layer a lot of interesting symbolism; if it's fairly one-dimensional / one-layered then you can blast through anything at 2x or 3x.
In the modern social media era, it feels like sometimes video content is filled with as much stuff as possible, like with the average MrBeast video, but it's mostly sausage. None of it has any deep meaning nor does it build up to something greater than the sum of its parts.
If it's entertainment like audiobooks, it's for my enjoyment, so why should it be faster than 1x? If it's for education, everything faster than 1x makes it hard to understand, and if there is too much filler content, I will find another source to learn about it.
I use 1.5x-2x for stuff I have to listen too, but don't enjoy.