Choosing Text Over YouTube Clutter

There are people who read and people who watch. I have always belonged to the first group. Reading is how my mind blooms. Words arranged on a page help me understand life with a clarity that videos rarely offer. I do watch a quick tutorial now and then for a DIY task to see how a tool moves or how a brush cutter can be serviced at home. Beyond that brief moment of usefulness, videos do little for me. When I learn through text, something settles more deeply. I can return to a paragraph, breathe with it and allow its meaning to grow at my pace, not at the hurried rhythm of a video creator.

These days, when I look something up online, I am naturally drawn to text-rich websites. Pages filled with steady words, detailed explanations and thoughtful essays feel like a quiet room where my mind can sit down. Even simple blogs offer such charm. Many of them are written with a sincerity and lightness that make them both entertaining and informative. A good blog post can make me smile, teach me something new and ground me all in one gentle stretch of reading.

In comparison, much of YouTube feels like a marketplace where noise wins over meaning. Low-content videos dominate the space. The format encourages speed, constant posting and a strange pressure to stay visible. In that race for attention, depth is often the first casualty. I too have a mini channel for marketing cottages but that is there just for the sake of being present on the platform. One of my friends who started a YouTube channel is doing well and I genuinely wish him success. Yet even then I cannot watch more than a few minutes of his channel too. It is not him. It is the medium. Many so-called creators speak fast, start with the irritating ‘hello friends’, poor pronunciation and language, add dramatic thumbnails and offer very little substance. They may be financially successful, far richer than many authors, yet for me the true respect lies with those who write. A writer spends years shaping one idea into a steady form. That effort carries a weight and an integrity that quick videos rarely match. And this is not just youtube, the low quality content has infected almost all social media. Instagram which once featured beautiful photographs is now run with low class reels. Happening on Facebook and Twitter (X) too.

On the rare days when I watch something, I choose an ad free OTT platform. I avoid the low quality and often crass content on those platforms where many creators do not even know the difference between the sound of sh and the sound of s.

Mubi appeals to me because it feels curated, like walking through a well-kept library, though I find it expensive considering how rarely I watch films. Netflix works too because its navigation is simple and clean. Anything cluttered, noisy or filled with interruptions loses me within minutes. I do not even own a television any more and I do not miss it. It has been over 15 years now.

The written word has always been more rewarding for me. Even when a beloved book becomes a film or a series, I find the original text far more entertaining. The imagination stays alive longer that way. The joy lingers. There is a certain grounding that only the quiet companionship of words can provide. Though to be clear, these films are far ahead of the low class content I mentioned earlier. I have no intention of comparing there to them. These films are definitely a different class, even if I find books usually better.

Among my guests and friends, I am grateful that many prefer thoughtful reading over the endless scroll of low-grade videos. We often exchange book recommendations and good long-form articles. I once dreamt of a small neighbourhood book club but it faded before it began. Perhaps one day it will find its season.

So if ever you want to share something enriching with me, send me a link to a well-written blog, a text-heavy article or simply the title of a book. Do not send videos from Facebook, Instagram or YouTube. I have stepped out of that world and I am happier for it. Reading keeps my mind steady. It keeps me mindful in a world that constantly pushes distraction. And most of all, it gives me space to breathe.

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