I think it has more to do with how close to the topic you are researching you already are.
I had to fix the motor of my vacuum, for that I preferred a youtube tutorial because I want to see someone do the things I an about to do.
If on the other hand I am trying to do something in Blender I usually prefer a text tutorial to get the exact bit of information I am looking for.
Compare it to conventional teaching. You usually don't throw pupils a book with all the knowledge the could need once they can read and call it a day,but you try to ahow them how things are done.
Ironically (given how anti-video-tutorial I generally am), I've learned to appreciate Blender-related videos. Not for everything, but for the things in which the alternative would be a lot of screenshots glued together with a bit of text. Some things are really best seen being done directly.
I think it has to do with how much tacit information is embedded in your activity. Blender or vacuum motor repair videos? Yes please, because the problem domain is such that I actually need to see all the things that happen in the background of the main activity, just to reassure myself I'm on the right track. Coding? God no, typing text into computer is a very constrained activity and you gain nothing by showing it on video vs. just making an article.
I don't think it is just how close you are, but what you are doing. When doing engineering projects I still like to see what someone is doing because there tends to be things that they do that aren't discussed and change how things work. You also can learn neat little tricks this way too.
But code, I generally like reading because most of it is abstract and in your head anyways. So I think the best media depends on what you're doing and what type of learner you are.
I'll add that sometimes I read a dozen articles and just don't get it. Then I watch an OCW and everything just clicks. The reverse also happens. Sometimes you just need a different format and/or a different voice. More options only helps.
I had to fix the motor of my vacuum, for that I preferred a youtube tutorial because I want to see someone do the things I an about to do.
If on the other hand I am trying to do something in Blender I usually prefer a text tutorial to get the exact bit of information I am looking for.
Compare it to conventional teaching. You usually don't throw pupils a book with all the knowledge the could need once they can read and call it a day,but you try to ahow them how things are done.