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They do that because it increases “engagement”, not because they care about the user’s experience with the subtitles.

Also some social media platforms don't offer subtitle functionality, so burned-in is the only way if you want to serve your content to people that require subtitles or refuse to unmute their phones while they watch from their toilet.

I did that (distracting subtitles) on one of my videos and it had a very negative response. I won't do it again, but I was puzzled because I find it much nicer than the traditional subtitle format personally. It's easier for my brain to focus on. (And no one in my test audience minded.)

Do you happen to have ADHD? That might explain the discrepancy :)

Subtitles are very explicitly not something you're meant to engage with or focus on which is why people hate it when you make the subtitles more "engaging" than the content of the video. If you want people to focus on your subtitles, you should write a blog instead of make a video.

Subtitles are an accessibility feature. They are meant to stay out of the way and add to, not detract from the video content. They are meant to be subtle and only visible if you need to look at them.

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