There's a lot of media that people spend their time consuming for entertainment or information. Two of the most common forms that compete are audio and visual, and it made me think of what makes people decide between them. There are strengths and weaknesses to both.
When listening to something, you can more easily multitask; you can drive, work, or do chores. But to enjoy it, you may need to multitask. Some people can be restless when they have nothing to look at or physically do. With something visual, you don't need to multitask. You can give your full attention to whatever you're watching. You can even use it to be creative and make new characters or storylines. There're a lot of people that do that with fan fiction.
I think I usually prefer visual things to audio. When I really want to pay attention to something, I need to be looking at it so that my mind doesn't wander. Sometimes, I listen to podcasts. But, if my eyes are doing nothing, my mind starts imagining things. I realize I didn't listen to the last 2 minutes of whatever it was, and I now have to rewind. The only time I can listen to a podcast or audiobook is when I'm doing something else, but something that doesn't take too much attention, like cleaning or cooking.
Usually, I listen to music while I do other things. But, If I'm doing schoolwork or writing, it's hard to listen to music with lyrics. I usually have to opt-in for an instrumental for focus. I wonder if music and words affect different parts of the brain. It also puts me in a better mood, so I'm more motivated to get things done. Win-Win!
I can sometimes watch something visual while working, but only as background noise. I may look for a minute or two to give myself a break, but otherwise, I'm focused on my work. For this, I'd usually put on a show I've seen a million times like Bob's Burgers or Friends.
I think music is the only thing I can listen to without doing anything else. Listening to music is different because I usually close my eyes, dance, or spend my time analyzing all my favorite parts of a song.
This also makes me think that most things I listen to can also have a visual component. Sometimes, the performance of the song is much better than just the song alone. So, which one would you rather have? If a new track from your favorite artist just dropped, would you go stream it first, or go to YouTube to watch the video? Do you like to just listen to the podcast/radio show or watch the video of the hosts talking to each other? Audiobook or movie?