Completely hypothetical CI question that definitely doesn't have anything to do with my current situation.
Let's say that somebody is currently frustrated with their ability to understand native content. They put on a Youtube video of a native speaker just talking about a topic they enjoy, and understand something like 50%. Enough to pick out a lot of words and phrases that they know, but the native speaker is speaking quickly and casually, so it's not quite comprehensible enough to comfortably follow along. The issue is sometimes vocab, but more often it's just processing what's being said before the speaker moves on too quickly to the next sentence, and there's no subtitles to double check your understanding like there is with learner material.
Now let's say that this theoretical learner puts on a CI podcast. "Easy X, Learn X with me, Comprehensible X," that kind of thing. In these podcasts, people speak slowly and clearly, use a wide range of vocab but usually not jargon, and kindly explain things that might be difficult. These podcasts are about 99% comprehensible. You pick up a couple new words, continue to get used to the language, but it's not a struggle.
The gap between these two is pretty big. Would you be of the camp that I- uh I mean this theoretical learner, should...
A) Continue down the CI path. 99% is ideal for learning, don't switch to something less comprehensible just because you are trying to force yourself to move on too fast.
B) Time to take off the training wheels. It's uncomfortable and you only really understand 50% but you just have to immserse in native content now.
Of course "why not both" is also a perfectly reasonable answer (and currently what I do), but in a theoretical "if you were perfectly okay with spending 100% of your time on the CI material or the native material, which would be better" kind of way. Obviously we talk a lot about how incomprehensible input isn't useful to spend your time on, but the fact that the native material on Youtube isn't 0%, and is more like 50% (give or take) makes it a more interesting question, I think.
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