Remember the days when television could only be watched on television, and you had to wait a week or two to see what was happening with your favorite characters?
It appears that many Americans have forgotten what it’s like to have to wait between episodes. Providers like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime give access to entire seasons of our favorite shows to watch whenever we please and for however long we please, from Breaking Bad to Mad Men. Not only that, but with our various devices, we can watch “television” shows or movies almost anywhere we go. This is leading many Americans to “binge-watch” their favorite shows, instead of just watching one per week over the course of several months.
Have you ever chosen to watch two to six episodes of a show in one sitting, or perhaps an entire season? If yes, then you’ve “binge watched.” According to a study conducted by Netflix and Canadian Anthropologist Grant McCracken, approximately 61% of 1,500 customers surveyed participated in binge-watching, and 73% thought binge-watching to be a positive thing. This demand for streaming television series’ led Netflix to adjust its model for producing new series, releasing entire seasons of their hit shows such as House of Cards and Orange is the New Black all at once.
There are many critics who warn of the negative effects binge-watching can have on both the mind and the body. Psychologist Jonathan Fader, in an article for Psychology Today, warns about the addictive nature of binge-watching and how the rise in complex television characters and narratives is drawing people to watch television more than ever. In the article, he addresses how easy it is for viewers to get sucked into binge-watching through the relationships they “develop” with the characters of their favorite shows. He and other critics (such as Scientific American’s Robert Kubey and Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi) find that binge-watching is similar to other forms of addiction, even leading to withdrawals when the addict is unable to access some of their favorite shows. While that case may be extreme, for many binge-watchers, problems like obesity, lack of sleep, low energy levels, and decreased alertness can be common. NBC news cites that binge-watching can lead to an increased risk of premature death due to heart failure, cancer, or another medical issue related to decreases in physical activity.
With all this considered, it might be better to take a break from your favorite show and step outside for a walk before clicking that tempting “play next episode” button!