If you have a spare 19 mins, take a look at this fantastic presentation from TED’s Chris Anderson on why video, in conjunction with the mass distribution model of the internet, is changing the way that we learn, develop and evolve our knowledge. He calls the process “Crowd-Accelerated Innovation”, something that he says may end up being as significant as the advent of the printed word.
If you don’t have 19 mins to spare, then fast-forward the talk to about the 9 min mark. Chris makes interesting observations on why video is so much more compelling that the text in a number of levels. As human beings, we’re innately drawn to face-to-face communication.
While information can often be absorbed faster through the written word, the non-verbal element of the communication is missing which can significantly contribute to the level of both comprehension and retention.
As he says “What Gutenberg did for writing, online video can now do for face-to-face communication.”