The increase in video-based communication has made different caption styles more apparent to audiences, including hearing viewers who watch social media videos with colorful open captions. To explore how viewers respond to a variety of caption styles, this article shares findings from three focus group discussions with twenty deaf and hard-of-hearing college students. This article begins by discussing the accessibility of captioned television and digital media and how captions can influence the viewing experience. This article then analyzes deaf and hard-of-hearing focus group participants’ statements about their viewing experiences, reception practices, and critiques of aesthetic and accessible caption styles. The analysis of viewers’ feedback reveals how the tension between various approaches to captions contributes to the reshaping of television and online media: a reshaping in which captions are coming to the forefront of the viewing experience for deaf, hard-of-hearing, and hearing viewers.
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