Based on global trends in content consumption:
80-90% of users tend to watch videos or view images as their primary mode of consuming content.
10-20% of users prefer reading text-based content.
Out of 100 People:
80 to 90 people would watch videos or view images.
10 to 20 people would focus on reading.
“Why People Watch, Scroll, and Swipe Instead of Reading – Adapting Content for Modern Audiences”
In today’s digital age, the shift from reading to watching, scrolling, and swiping is driven by key behavioral patterns. Here’s why this phenomenon is growing and how marketers can adapt:
Time Constraints:
People feel they don’t have enough time to read, especially long or complex content. They want information delivered quickly.
Effort Aversion:
Reading requires mental effort—scanning words, processing them, and forming an understanding. Many users find it easier to consume visually engaging or interactive content.
The Rise of Laziness:
Convenience is king. People prefer quick, digestible formats like videos or infographics over lengthy text.
Preference for Engagement:
Interactive content (videos, reels, and short clips) offers instant gratification. It captures attention better than plain text, especially when combined with dynamic visuals and sound.
Mobile-Driven Consumption:
Mobile devices dominate content consumption, and smaller screens make reading harder. A majority of users prefer watching a quick video or scrolling through images instead of straining their eyes on text.
The Short-Form Revolution:
Platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts thrive because they align perfectly with users’ preference for concise, entertaining, and visually engaging content.
Algorithm Influence:
Digital platforms prioritize short, engaging formats to keep users scrolling. This fuels a cycle where creators are incentivized to produce more of what the audience consumes.
Balancing Content for Users and Search Engines
While humans prefer visually appealing and interactive formats, search engine bots thrive on text-based content. Striking the right balance between engaging users and optimizing for search engines is essential:
For Users: Create visually appealing, easy-to-digest content. Use infographics, videos, and interactive elements to convey your message. Keep the text concise and use larger, mobile-friendly fonts.
For Bots: Include well-structured text content with relevant keywords. Use descriptive alt text for images and transcriptions for videos. Ensure your content has a clear hierarchy (titles, subheadings) and metadata for SEO.
Final Thought:
Understanding the dual audience—human viewers and bots—is key to crafting impactful content. While bots help your content rank, it’s the humans who take action. Prioritize their preferences without neglecting the SEO essentials for visibility.
In today’s digital landscape, visual content such as videos and images significantly outperforms text-based content in terms of user engagement and sharing. Notable statistics include:
User Preference: 81% of users prefer videos on social media over other content types, with images following at 68%, and text posts at 31%.