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Comment by PaulDavisThe1st | Hacker News Reader

Right, a sort of generational divide. Old people (like me) looking for how-to information go to youtube; young(er) people go to tiktok. Tiktok is 100% blocked from my system but from what i've seen leak into twitter, it's hard for me (an old person) to imagine how it could compete with youtube for how-to. But then maybe that's just growing old.

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> Old people (like me) looking for how-to information go to youtube

I'm old, but I would never search YouTube for how-to information. Videos are too light on solid information and are too hard to use as references.

Tiktok is worse, though, having even less information.

I have found youtube videos that are simply superb for tasks as diverse as:

   * replacing the steering rods on my Sprinter van
   * restoring factory state on an ancient Garmin watch
   * mixing adobe plaster
   * tying a prince of wales knot in a necktie

and lots, lots more.

Different people are different, of course. Video doesn't work well for me if I'm trying to learn something new. I was only pushing back on the notion that there's an age connection to this.

> Videos are too light on solid information and are too hard to use as references.

Depends on the video.

I rarely use videos for how-to though. The written word is more convenient as it allows me to skim it and it’s easier to skip ahead. Video is good for demonstrating things where motion information is useful though.

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