[coldtea]

>Seems a bit like gatekeeping

So? This seems like a thought-stopping word: "Oh, gatekeeping! Awful". I'd say we could use some more gatekeeping.

>Some people rely on audiobooks

Well, if you mean the blind, or even people with no time outside car commuting, etc, well for them it's another matter.

I might rely on a walker to go around, but that doesn't mean that it's just an altertive for walking that I prefer, as opposed to a remedy for a health issue.

[downriver]

I think it’s reasonable to distinguish reading a book and listening to a book. I don’t particularly think one is better or worse, but certainly they are objectively different.

My sense is that when people talk about gate keeping there’s necessarily an emotional component. In this case I’d guess perhaps there’s a sense that “reading a book” is valuable or prestigious and they don’t want to exclude someone from it.

But to me it’s just an observation of how you consumed content, free of emotional charge.