🎧 Are Audiobooks REALLY Reading? 📚🤔 

Do you use audiobooks? Or do you considerthem to be cheating? Let's discuss down below!

As a victim of dementia, my ‘reading’ is almost exclusively through audiobooks. I am thankful that my library provides this service.

As a disabled person I’m sick of hearing people say audiobooks aren’t reading! It’s so ableist and why does anyone care how others are reading?? I’m thrilled there are such a wide range of audiobooks these days!

I used to think of audiobooks as not real reading. But some of my friends *can't* read print/digital books. They have vision impairments or neurological differences... and for them, an audiobook is 100% reading a book. That shifted my perspective. I rarely listen to audiobooks because I can't multitask with them, and if I'm sitting and focusing, I'd rather read a digital or print book. But there are times when my eyes are tired, or I'm having trouble getting the "voice" of a book, and they're great for that.

I love reading books. I love listening to audiobooks. To me, it isn't reading, but that's okay. It's certainly closer to reading than watching TV. I'm still given the amount of detail and patience to let the story breathe you find in the book corresponding to the audiobook (assuming the book delivers those things) as well as I'm still given the opportunity to visualize what's happening in my head as U would be able to whilst reading. It's not reading, per se, but it isn't lesser by any means.

I see the value of still reading physically, and not switching to audio only, especially when still in middle grade/high school. But for me personally both count as reading because you are consuming and enjoying the story in its entirety, one way or another.

i realize people get stuck on the verb “reading”. you’d think with regular readers a bit more critical thinking would happen and they’d realize it’s just talking about consuming the book but no 😬 audiobooks are valid and counts this topic should’ve been shelved already

Reading books and listening to audiobooks are both a pleasure and of equal value. But I feel like reading a book is different enough that it should have its own language "read”. The problem is we don't really have a word for listening to audiobooks, for “listening” has a more passive connotation and is more descriptive of music than “reading”. I want to nominate the word “Risen” To fill this void.

As the person who brought this up in our book club, I salute you for making a video on this! In the future, I'll just forward the link to people who try and start this discussion with me and I'll feel so at peace 🤭 and the mention of Dana Schwartz's duology, it's the perfect example of audiobooks adding dimension to the reading experience!🙌

I didn't think I would get much out of this video but I enjoy all your videos enough to watch anyway. The "debate" didn't interest me per se, but your video got me to assess my own preferences and the differences I find in the two modes of delivery. As just one example, my mind does more easily wander when I'm listening than when I'm reading. But that's just the nature of our senses used: with a book you likely look away when you need to pay attention to something else and thus instantly stop reading. With audio it easily keeps going into your non-listening ears while you look away at the distraction. However, there are times one cannot read a book (driving, mowing, etc.) but can listen to a book. It's lovely to have more time to "read" than we used to have. I like scientific studies and thank you so much for including those; they were real eye-openers. The difference between "Reading" and "Reading books" is important to distinguish (and may be the root of the discussion below.) Reading isn't dependent upon books. Stories (also ideas, knowledge, concepts) aren't dependent upon reading. But they do get confused in the debate because we use the one word "reading" when we say "reading a book." "Consuming" maybe could be an alternative verb, but what an awful word. One last thing, I agree that some books are better in audio including some books I'd never tackle to read in text but certainly would listen to. And conversely, too. There are some audio book deliveries that could never match what I heard or even saw, within my own skull cinema. THANK YOU SO MUCH for this video. I was engaged the whole time, unexpectedly so.

I read physical books and for the last 3 years have read audiobooks too. Why did I not get to them sooner, I ask myself, Audiobooks means I can read while busy, gardening, cooking, walking and in the car, such a brilliant way to read a good book. I also think it helps to hear the written word spoken and often easier to understand if it’s a more complicated language,especially some of the classics

I have nearly 1000 titles in my Audible library. (A “title” may be a complete book, a reading of a complete book of poetry or a single poem, a podcast episode, or a publication of a different description), collected since 2008. I have a monthly subscription to Everand (Scibd) and have no way to count the publications I have read as audiobooks through that excellent service. Since Christmas of 1955, when I received “Little Women” from my mother for Christmas, I have always had between 2 and 5 books “on the go”: literature, history, politics, philosophy, science, arts. The arrival of audiobooks changed my reading habits very little. I don’t care to participate in a discussion of whether consuming audiobooks is “really” reading. Of course it is. I will tell you that i moved across the country 4 years ago. I was able to bring my entire book collection with me. It fits neatly into my Brooklyn apartment.

While some of the books I read really should be print (another advantage is being able to take notes and highlight within the text), I would say that most are good either way. The main disadvantage of audio in my experience is just that I could be distracted and miss something and the audio book just keeps going, whereas if I am distracted when reading print books, I can resume where I left off when I get back to it, and thus not miss anything. Still, I really appreciate being able to listen because I often don't have time to sit and read, but I can listen to something while I do some of my more mindless work, e.g. washing dishes. Also, anyone who says that audio books don't count should stop and think, because what is something that people love at libraries? Book readings, where people (children especially) can sit and listen while someone (often the author) reads a book to them. Some do similar things online, such as in Zoom calls. Is that without value? Are we wasting our time? I certainly don't think so! That said, the best comprehension and retention would actually come from listening to the audio book _while_ reading the print book. :)

i’m in university studying a double degree (arts/sci) and i also have dyslexia and adhd. i (physically) read a lot of nonfiction every week. i simply don’t enjoy reading fiction after all of my uni work. I know I can read, I don’t need to prove it to myself in my down time audiobooks are a way to enjoy the content amidst a very busy schedule, and I find it can even enhance the experience of certain books - especially memoirs/autobiographies. plus i enjoy myself a lot more and engage in the content better because i don’t have to bypass my difficulties with reading and focus

I think there are two separate arguments going on in the comment section. Is listening to audiobooks reading? Technically no. It's consuming content without the skill of decoding and understanding that is done visually. And that's fine. 2. We shouldn't gate keep how people consume books. You're not superior because you consumed a book by reading instead of listening to it. Like people said, it's abilist to suggest reading is superior to listening to an audiobook. That can still be true, while acknowledging the fundamental importance of literacy being taught and learned in school.

Plus, historically literature, poetry, etc. was meant to be read aloud/listened to ever since writing things down became a thing, since few people could actually read. And that's after the oral tradition of telling myths and legends. That's why the idea of seeing audiobooks as cheating is absolutely ridiculous to me. It's presented as something new, but actually it's the oldest way of literary consumption.

I have issues concentrating on most books (I read classics generally) my mind wanders incredibly easily I just don’t get immersed in the text like normal people seem to do. I read along to audiobooks and it helps keep me interested otherwise I can only read 10 minutes max at a time

I dont think its cheating neither I think audiobooks are "less" than regular books. I just wouldnt use that specific verb (reading) to represent the ~action. Just as I would not listen to music and call it reading, unless I'm looking at the lyrics. Maybe in the English language, reading might mean more actions other than "scanning words with your eyes to grasp the ideas presented", but in mine, you dont "read audiobooks", you listen to it, so their are not "books", its another media. I would go as far as to say Braille reading is not reading and It's not a matter of judgement of value, they are all valid. I guess it's just semantics for me, and to a certain extend, it's definitely subjective.

Really like your take on this.

Well, you can learn a lot of things from podcasts, so listening to a book can be considered listening to a very long podcast. 😅

So...if I understand you...If I watch a movie, like say Moby Dick, I can say that I read the book?

I can’t believe that in 2024, people are still disregarding audiobooks and saying they’re not reading. It’s such an ableist argument. This was such a great video, Bart. I really appreciate the research you put into it. I hope you enjoy your trip to London! ☺️

If it doesn't matter, why bother to defend the right to call listening, reading?

I’ve been an audiobook reader since 1997. That comes out to more than a 1,000 books finished in that format. I guess I’m a big fan. The biggest criticism I hear from the audiobook haters is that they can’t concentrate on the book while listening or fully engaged with the text. Listening to an audiobook is a different skill than physically reading but it is a skill that can be learned. I learned by necessity back in 1997 because I had a hour and a half commute to work each way. I grew tired of listening to radio music and wanted something else. One of the best choices of my life was picking up an audiobook and giving it a try for the first time.

My older brother is blind and learnt to read via braille and as technology progressed listened to audio books long before they became mainstream via a special type of 8 track cassette cartridge then onto CD-Rom via a Daisy reader. Whatever method someone uses to get a book into their head doesn't really matter too much as long as they have good focus and don't become too distracted. I will always prefer the printed paper page but audio books have been an invaluable asset to increase the number of books I have time for or to revisit loved books in a different format. The slightly snobby book vs audio book reminds me a lot of the LP is superior to CD crowd 😉.

It's funny to think there are a lot of people that would say I haven't actually read one of my favourite books of all time. I've listened to Pride and Prejudice so many times that I have large sections of it memorized. If I were to write a paper on it, the only reason I would have to crack open a copy is to cite page numbers for the quotations... but I've never once actually picked up a physical copy and looked at the words on the page. I don't think I'm missing anything important in not doing that.

I've never considered audiobooks to be reading (as that's something I do with my eyes, not my ears), but they're absolutely a legitimate way of enjoying a story, and in the end that's all that matters. I have found that I can only take in an audiobook if I'm multitasking as otherwise my mind can drift. I agree that they can enhance the experience. I'd recommend "The Hobbit" read by Andy Serkis as he gives all the characters different voices, and you get to hear him do Gollum again 😊. Donna Tart's reading of "True Grit" is also very good. Living in the UK I've also found audio to be a good way to enjoy books that have not been published here and are harder to get hold of if you want to avoid using Amazon too much. Anyway I really enjoyed the video and agreed with what you had to say on the subject. Thanks 👍

I read books using my eyes and ears. I do not have any interest in this “debate”. I enjoy the performance aspect of audiobooks. I also enjoy creating my own interpretation of the voices when I read with my eyes. Finally, I enjoy “emergence” reading, when I read a book with both the audiobook and the physical book; using my eyes and ears at the same time. It creates a fantastic experience. Cheers.

I love books, they can be in any form and I will still love them, hard back or soft back, new or second hand, physical books, ebooks or audio books, it's true love !!

Getting an audiobook subscription skyrocketed me from 2-3 books a year to 21 and counting, I caught up with lots of classics I had never made time for and I discovered some amazing new authors. That being said, I always felt a bit... Ashamed? Like I was cheating by not actually reading those books. So I was a bit scared opening this video but thank God I did 😂 The algorithm recommended it to me BTW and now you have one new subscriber ❤️

I find that my concentration on/absorption of what I'm reading is better when I read a physical book. I have only tried an audio book once, but found myself multitasking instead of paying full attention to the story itself. That is my, incredibly limited, personal experience. I do consider audio books as reading, because, as you said, most children are exposed to reading via being read to. There are also many segments of the population who benefit from audio books. The visually impaired, individuals who deal with ADD/ADHD, or those who have difficulty reading actual text for a myriad of reasons, come to mind And, consuming audiobooks may encourage people to want to pick up a physical book at some point🤷‍♀️. This really doesn't need to be a point of contention, in my opinion, because who outside of Booktube, is really concerned? In the "real world", it probably doesn't matter so much😂😂.

Hmmm, I am of a different opinion. Audiobooks are not for me and I will never use them. My paper books have three advantages, that are not related to whatever it is you believe to have understood about the brain. First, my printed books never have a low battery or missing adaptor. Two, I make tons of notes and use sticky transparant page markers, helping me keep track with physical, easily identifiable markers of the book's structure. Three, progress measured by page count gives me feedback about the density of the text. (Dozing off does not.) I am not saying audio is cheating, but I often experienced that colleagues and friends who had listened to a book I had read, had a very poor recollection of the book's structure and main arguments. That may be because they listened to the narration while doing something else, like ironing shirts, running on a gym machine, or sitting in a commute train. But I do like very well made podcasts, like Andrew Hickey's 500 songs and some radioplay adaptations of classic literature. The (German) version of Diderot's Jacques le Fataliste, made by Hans Magnus Enzensberger is art.

I have an easier time listening to audiobooks as it's difficult for me to focus and read books alone, unless I do both-read while I listen to the book and audiobook version at the same time. So whatever works to process a book into one's mind is valid. No one person is the same. Maybe one day we can download books into our brain like The Matrix! (I jest, that actually scares me haha)