I don’t know about other people but when I read a story, if it is well written I see it as a movie playing in my mind.

The best way to explain it is picture an apple.

Some people get a phot realistic image.

Some people get a cartoony representation.

Some get the equivalent of a 3d object in a video game.

Other might not “see” anything and just think of the abstract idea of an apple. None of these people will ever assume on their own that others experience something different.

There’s an argument that it’s not an inmate ability, but something that has to be nurtured and grown. But I’m pretty sure there’s been controlled studies and what people “see” is relatively independent of time reading/imagining things.

But there is a real difference between reading/listening, it engages different parts of the brain to take in the information. As does writing it down. It’s why the century old standard for studying is listening, writing/typing notes, and then reading the notes later. It’s covering all the paths to get the information into your brain.