YouTube's Forgotten Audience: The Deaf Community
Kimberly Erskine, PhD
Award-Winning Compliance Professional. Doctor. Deaf and Loud.
Are you a member of the Deaf community? If so, then there's probably one social media platform that gives you a less than enjoyable user experience. Chances are, you don't use this platform at all, and when forced to use it, it probably leaves you feeling pretty miserable and/or outright depressed.
The culprit? None other than YouTube.
YouTube is one of the most popular social networks in the world and, more than that, it's the 2nd most popular search engine. People love it. Or, let me re-phrase, HEARING people love it.
The Deaf community? Not so much.
But here's the thing: the Deaf community wants to love YouTube. The Deaf community really isn't all that different from the hearing community. Members of the Deaf community work long, hard jobs and like to kick back and relax when they get home by watching TV or videos, including videos on YouTube. They like to engage in the latest trends and current events and they really want to watch the latest viral YouTube video and to see what the big deal is. Some members of the Deaf community also work in the field of Social Media Marketing, and they wish they didn't have to dread being assigned a YouTube related task.
So why is it that the Deaf community hates YouTube? It's simple, really: they cannot hear the videos.
YouTube is great for many things. They feature videos for a wide range of categories including education, humor, music, current events, DIY tutorials, and hundreds more. It is great for enjoyment, learning, marketing/advertising, etc. But there is one area that it is currently failing in: being Deaf friendly.
YouTube strongly encourages its users to include closed captions when uploading videos, but it cannot force users to do so. Unfortunately, the current law in America states that online videos are only required to have closed captioning if they have been shown on Television. This rule, then, doesn't apply to a majority of YouTube videos.
Fortunately, the closed captioning problem is one that is incredibly easy to fix. The National Center on Disability and Access to Education explains step-by-step how you can caption your YouTube videos. It is a very easy process that can be completed using the video manager. See https://ncdae.org/resources/cheatsheets/youtube.php to learn how you can caption your videos.
Choosing to include closed-captioning on your YouTube videos has many benefits. The most obvious benefit is that it helps you to reach even more of your audience. Think that your target audience doesn't include the Deaf community? think again. As many as 1 in 20 Americans (approximately 1,000,000 people) are deaf. This is a HUGE audience that you are missing out on with your videos when you opt out of closed captioning. By adding in the closed captioning, you can reach this audience and possibly see an increase in your video views, number of subscribers, and overall engagements on YouTube.
Still not sold? What if I told you that by adding closed captioning to your YouTube videos you could actually increase your YouTube SEO? It's true. Captions are indexed by YouTube search. YouTube is also owned by Google. This means that when you add captions to your YouTube videos you can increase your visibility not just with YouTube, but Google as well. Increased visibility = increased chance of being found and having your videos viewed. In fact, a recent study showed that after 14 days, videos with added closed captions seen an almost 14% increase in the number of views!
The Deaf community wants you to add captions to your videos as well. They want to watch your videos, comment and engage with them, and even to subscribe to your videos. In fact, they are pushing more and more for this to happen. Just see this video below featuring various members of the Deaf community begging YouTube users to add captions:
Next time you go to upload a YouTube video, don't forget about the Deaf community. Take the time add closed captioning. You won't regret it.
Currently a Social Media + Digital Marketing Innovator and Consultant. LA-Story.com Former Rental Real Estate + Investments Co-Manager/Co-Owner at KBP Inc.
9 年Great post on an oft-forgotten segment of the population. It's so true. There should be closed captioning options.. not just on the part of the creator but on the part of the viewer. The deaf miss out on lots of great content and I think audiovisual platforms like youtube, snapchat, blab and other similar apps should be thinking about that specific community for engagement and adaptations
Fundraising Pro & Event Planning Maven | Creating Unforgettable Experiences & Securing Impactful Support | Published Authoress
9 年Thankful that you bought this to the attention of content creators. Although, I'm hearing, I studied sign language and utilized YouTube a lot to learn words and songs so that I could share with others. Some of deaf/ hard of hearing friends couldn't hear the videos or understand what was going on. This is important so as not to leave a huge community out.
What a great point. Companies who are using YouTube as a marketing channel need to consider their HOH or deaf prospects. This is a lost marketing opportunity for sure. Thanks for bringing it to our attention and being the fierce advocate you are for the deaf community.
Assistant Property Manager- CIRA Centre - Brandywine Realty Trust
9 年Thank you for this! My mother is newly HOH and she gets disappointed when others share videos with her and there is no CC enabled. A lot of times, if there is a transcription, its not always correct; leaving you to guess what is being said.