I came across this article about people who aren't hard of hearing or deaf and still use the otherwise hidden closed captioning when they watch TV. And I admit I'm one of them. What was really fascinating to me is how many comments it generated from casual viewers who do exactly the same thing.
 
Dear TV: I Have a Closed Caption Habit (And Apparently Many Others Do, Too)
 
So why would you want something to take up space on your screen when you don’t need it? As it turns out, there are a lot of hidden bonuses from turning on the CC.
 
-Missed Dialogue: The most obvious benefit. A lot of times, the shows sound is mixed too hot, leaving background music to overrun what the actors are saying. Or you're in a noisy place and can't quite make out what was said.  But you don’t miss a thing if the words are on the screen. Or you can go back a bit on the video if you’re on a DVR and see what you missed.
 
-Changed Scripts: I can’t tell you the number of times the captioning reveals dialogue that has either been edited out, changed, or had the actor ad lib a line slightly. It’s fascinating to see what the original words were.
 
-What’s That Song?: About 95% of the time, if a song meant to enhance a scene or add an emotional punch is played – a growing technique in TV these days – you’ll find out the name of it. “Elton John’s “Your Song” plays” is an example of a typical CC when music starts. And if there’s no dialogue, you’ll see the lyrics along with it. Helpful if you hear a tune you don’t know and wonder what it is or who’s singing it.
 
-How’s That Again?: Maybe the most fun part of the closed captioning process is seeing how badly it's sometimes messed up. This is usually only a problem during live programming, which can’t be pre-produced and is being transcribed as it happens, like in a news or sports show.
 
A number of years ago, the station I was working at went live for an interview with someone connected with the CNE. At one point, a busker started playing a violin near him and it startled the guy enough that he said on air, “I hear a stray fiddle.” But what the CC showed on screen was, “I hair a stray fuddle.”
 
It was so absurd, I couldn't stop laughing.

Which makes me wonder if the deaf ever wonder what the hell we’re talking about.

And if someone has a very difficult name to pronounce and it's not entirely clear, they'll usually just skip it altogether. "Eratunum Kalithaluyi was arrested last week," most often becomes "He was arrested last week..." But it's fun to watch them try and get even close to the real thing.

Even the CRTC is thinking about this. Last week, they issued a press release vowing to improve closed captioning on live programming to get up to 98% accuracy. The current standard is 95%.
 
Watching TV with CC takes some getting used to. But I find myself using it a lot more often that I ever thought. Because in the end, it's literally too much for words - or in most cases, just enough.