- Skimming: In my day job this is 95% of "reading". I think this is unavoidable, since (even if the material is well written) there's very little chance that two consumers need the same information. In papers I read the abstract, jump to the conclusions, maybe go back to the intro if I'm confused, or check out the methods if that's what matters to me. I get frustrated with any medium where skimming isn't possible, and similar when search isn't possible.
- Reading as in reading a book: this is more for fun or to cool down. Video / podcast seems like a drop-in replacement here. I don't read HN this way. Does anyone?
I think people who create content should be aware of this dichotomy. If you are communicating with experts, make sure your information is well structured. If you are writing literature focus more on the flow.
I skim HN, when I like something, I dive in & read it carefully and sometimes even implement it. The rest is just chewing gum; nice maybe but not serious.
As I get older (50 now), I have 0 patience for anything else than reading; it's much faster than listening and rereading stuff I didn't get the first time is easier and faster. I listen to stuff (including zoom/calls) to stuff that doesn't hold much importance/value; maybe it triggers something, then I go read about it instead.