Why is ETF the only term I seem to hear

L'auteur du post se demande pourquoi les ETF sont toujours mentionnés dans les discussions sur les investissements, alors que les fonds mutuels traditionnels semblent similaires. Un commentaire explique que la principale différence réside dans la possibilité d'acheter et de vendre les ETF en temps réel pendant les heures de marché.

Please forgive if there is any obvious ignorance here, I just started my personal financial journey/knowledge in the middle of last year (33 y.o.) after reading The Simple Path to Wealth. I figured why mess with what seems like a winning route so I started my Vanguard brokerage account and invested $7500 (gift from relative) in VTSAX in a normal brokerage account. I now think maybe I should have just started strait off the bat with fully funding a Roth IRA for the year but I'm not mad at my decision. After hitting my goal in my emergency fund I started a Roth IRA also in Vanguard and simply because of the minimum amount you can start with VTSAX I invested in VTI. (I also started my Roth 401k with 5% match through my work) Which leads me to my question of why anytime I watch any Youtube video about investing or even read a thread here its always about investing in ETFs and no one seems to talk about or even mention "normal" mutual funds. I feel as though I'm missing something. From everything I've researched it seems at the end of the day there is no difference. It feels like ETF is the buzz word and you are doing something wrong if that is not what you're doing or investing in.