In today’s fast-paced digital world, we often rely on various online platforms to quench our thirst for knowledge, information, and entertainment. Among these platforms, news websites hold a significant position as they allow us to stay updated about current events across the globe. However, despite their essential role in delivering crucial content, many of these sites have resorted to irritating tactics that negatively impact user experience. One such tactic is the automatic playback of videos accompanied by full audio when one opens their webpage.
This practice has become increasingly common among news sites due to the belief that users prefer a multimedia experience over plain text articles. However, there is no empirical evidence to support this assumption. On the contrary, many have raised concerns over these autoplaying videos. These concerns range from audio intrusion into private spaces, lack of control over sound output, to the consumption of data and battery life on mobile devices. The most prominent criticism against this practice stems from the mismatch between the video’s subject matter and the article itself. In other words, these videos are unrelated to the content of the page and often serve solely as advertisements, disruptive interfaces, or attempts at misleading engagement metrics.
Does ANYONE actually like these videos? I typically scramble to find the close and/or mute button as soon as I can. Infuriating.
Oh not only will I say no I’ll go one further. I was looking for chef John’s recipe for chicken sausage potato onions but the one pot version. I was hoping to find the YouTube video for it but I couldn’t spell the weird name he gave it. It would only give me the baked version. I did a search and found the web page recipe for it.
In the web page it started auto-playing the video that I really wanted to see. It pissed me off and I stopped it because I didn’t feel like watching a thumbnail of it without comments or adequate controls. I did an inspect look up the embed ID and left to find it on peer tube.
Sometimes I want to video for something and just to shut my brain off and take it all in. Sometimes I’m looking for an exact piece of information and I just want to skim as little as possible collect the info and move along.
If I want one then they give me the other I’m not amused.