I was reading something earlier today about how quite a significant percentage of people these days use subtitles when watching television or a film more out of habit than a need. I'm talking about day-to-day watching here, not using subtitles for something in a foreign language.

Where are you in this discussion? I find myself in the 'habit' department though I do have issues with my hearing (tinnitus), I can hear without the need for subtitles; it's become such a big preference for me that I feel lost without them on! In the report I was reading it said that subtitles felt like "company" where there's an additional comforting presence reading out what's being said on screen for you; I'm not sure that's how I feel about it but it is an interesting stance.

Do you find subtitles distracting?

Do you genuinely need them?

Off - I find them too distracting!

Always had them on since I was 4, but don't have on for sporting events.

On! Especially for films.

On

As an old git, I sometimes find the background music makes it difficult to hear the dialogue. Therefore, I sometimes use subtitles.

Always on nowadays. I feel I "consume" the information on the screen more optimally when I'm actually reading the dialogue as well as listening to it. (Plus I'm a very bad listener at the best of times anyway).

On for everything I watch on telly now (sport aside).

I used to have them off for live programmes because they weren't synced but I just keep them on now.

Being autistic it helps with processing.

Always on. My daughter was diagnosed with a hearing impairment from a young age, and although her hearing is pretty much corrected to normal with her hearing aids in, she does sometimes struggle without subtitles so we've always had them on, and it's become a habit now so that even when she's not watching we just always have them on. They're quite useful anyway for when you miss dialogue or if someone's speaking quietly.

Oh and one of my favourite features of subtitles is when there's a song playing and you don't know what it is, the subtitles sometimes tell you, like an automatic Shazam

Edited November 1Nov 1 by Mangø

On for some things, off for others. I put them on when things are unintelligible.

They feel like a comfort blanket for me, I have them on as much as possible - I've never been diagnosed with any sort of hearing impairment but I do struggle sometimes if there's a lot of background noise, a lot of dialogue sounds muffled if I don't have the subtitles on to help

Don't have on either when the news is on. It used to annoy people when I did put the subtitles on when I was younger.