Remember the last time you ran from one corner of your house to another and grabbed the remote to switch on the television just in time for your favourite TV show or a special movie premiere? Maybe you still do that but over the last few years, the popularization of internet video streaming services has given us a more convenient option of streaming a show/movie at our own will.
The way we get our daily dose of entertainment has changed dramatically. Some of the most famous streaming services today are Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hotstar. The number of people subscribing to such streaming services is increasing rapidly with each passing day, more so within the context of COVID-19. Digital content has become the most accessible form of leisure activity. Since the pandemic, even movie premiers are happening on these streaming services.
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What is Binge-Watching?
The word ‘binge’ means excessive indulgence in some activity. In terms of media, it refers to excessive viewing of TV shows and movies. It involves a person watching television for long periods, usually a single television show. Binge-watching started receiving a lot of attention with upcoming video streaming services through which the viewer can watch television shows and movies on-demand at any time of the day. India Today in an article reported that as per a Netflix survey, Indians come second in terms of the number of viewers bingeing in public. The popularity of streaming services in India might be linked to telecom services offering data services at cheap rates.
Why do we binge-watch?
1. It makes us happy
There is a reason behind “happiness is Netflix and chill.” When engaging in an enjoyable activity such as binge-watching dopamine is released in our brain. Netflix in a 2013 survey found that 73% of users are happy to binge-watch because of the production of dopamine.
2. In-built features
Several features are built-in ways that encourage you to keep watching, such as the auto-play feature which plays the next episode of a television series automatically within a few seconds. This feature is common in most streaming services including Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube. So even before you convince yourself by saying, “Just one more episode”, it has already begun.
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3. Identifying with the Characters
At some point or the other, most of us have had a favourite character or one we like because we can relate to them. One can also find social media accounts dedicated to specific characters and TV/Movie couples (OTPs) by their fans. As viewers, we often start identifying with characters and fantasy worlds that we wish were real which in turn, gets us hooked onto a TV series.
In Psychology, the term Cognitive Empathy is used to refer to the ability of humans to view things from someone else’s perspective or through someone else’s point of view, including that of fictional characters. Flayelle, Maurage, and Billieux (2017) argued that TV viewers specifically binge-watch for purposes of immersion, entertainment, and sociability. Immersing oneself in stories to take one’s mind off, entertainment and relaxation, and emotional connection seem to be contributing factors.
4. What’s Next
One of the biggest reasons for binge-watching is the quest to reach the end and to know what happens. Since most episodes end on a note of suspense, the viewer is tempted to continue watching. This tendency to want to know what happens, in the end, might be explained by the Zeigarnik Effect, which implies that our brain tends to fixate on unfinished tasks until they are completed though there isn’t sufficient evidence to confirm this (Guzman,2017).
Rubenking et. al (2018) in their study involving eleven focus groups of university students in the United States on “What makes and motivates TV binge-watching” found that anticipation of what was coming next – facilitated by both content and technological features, management of mood/ arousal, procrastination and escapism, social goals- related to both co-viewing and discussing content with others and identification with the characters to be the major motivating factors for binge-watching.
5. To not be left out of conversations
Have you ever felt like your friends have suddenly started speaking an alien language that you don’t get because you haven’t watched that particular show yet? Or have you ever hated the idea of being left out of the “I got that reference” group? Well, it has also been found that we often start watching a series because our friends keep talking about it or they keep asking us to watch it. Hence, one races to keep up, avoid spoilers and feel included in conversations. Steiner and Xu (2018) found that viewers are motivated to binge-watch to catch up on previous episodes and feel included in cultural conversations.
Read More: Binge-Watching Blues: Know the Hidden Mental Health Risks
Ups and Downs of Binge-Watching
While binge-watching does help avoid boredom, facilitate conversations, help you relate to characters, reduce stress, and provide entertainment, there is also a negative side to it. The excessive watching and long periods in front of the screen are bound to have some effects on the viewer. Binge-watching has been found to have several effects on a viewer’s physical as well as mental health. These effects may be short-term or long-term.
1. Sleep
Staying up late at night to finish a series or straining your eyes for too long can disturb your sleep pattern. It has long been proven that exposure to white light emitted by mobile/computer screens in the hours before bed can suppress sleep and increase the amount of time taken to fall asleep. Researchers have shown that binge-watching has significant impacts on sleep.
Scientists from the University of Michigan and Belgium’s University of Leuven found mental stimulation caused by excessive viewing in the evenings to be responsible for sleep disturbance. Binge-watching was found to be associated with poor sleep quality, an increase in fatigue, and symptoms of insomnia as compared to regular TV viewing (Exelmans & Van den Bulck, 2017).
2. Sedentary Lifestyle
Staying indoors and long hours of viewing could lower the amount of time spent outdoors and hence decrease the amount of time one spends on exercise and health care. Binge-watching might also encourage unhealthy snacking as people often like to munch on something while watching. It might also alter one’s meal timings.
3. Mental Effects
Binge-watching might be a contributing factor towards increased levels of depression and anxiety in viewers. It has also been found to increase stress levels and feelings of loneliness. A study conducted by Sung, Kang, and Lee (2018), at Texas University found significant positive associations between binge-watching television and attachment anxiety and depression. During binge-watching, our adrenaline and cortisol levels may increase causing us to feel stressed in response to the suspense.
4. Decreased social interaction
While keeping up with popular TV shows can help you stay involved in your friends’ conversations, excessive viewing and long hours spent in front of the screen might isolate you from others. It might play a role in distancing family members (Pinto, 2014). Avoiding going out with friends, spending time with family, or engaging in conversations to stay in your room to continue watching may have an impact on your social life.
As we can see, like every part of the internet world binge-watching has its pros and cons and can be a boon or a bane depending on how we choose to shape our habits. In the long run, binge-watching and finishing seasons upon seasons of TV shows might be enjoyable for sure but it is nothing to be glorified. The streaming services are meant for your enjoyment and entertainment, not a race or a compulsion to finish all that is being talked about. Regular binge-watching can be detrimental to both our physical as well as mental health. Remember that the excess of anything is never good for one’s well-being. Timing your viewing sessions, watching with others, seeking alternate leisure activities and hobbies, spending more time outdoors, and maintaining a schedule might help combat the negative effects and practice better self-control.
References +
Exelmans, L., & Van den Bulck, J. (2017). Binge viewing, sleep, and the role of pre-sleep arousal. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 13(8), 1001-1008.
Flayelle, M., Maurage, P., & Billieux, J. (2017). Toward a qualitative understanding of binge-watching behaviours: A focus group approach. Journal of behavioral addictions, 6(4), 457-471.
Pinto D. (2014, June 1). The big binge: Viewers marathon episodes of television shows is a new obsession.
Rubenking, B., Bracken, C. C., Sandoval, J., & Rister, A. (2018). Defining new viewing behaviours: What makes and motivates TV binge-watching?. International Journal of Digital Television, 9(1), 69-85.
Steiner, E., & Xu, K. (2020). Binge-watching motivates change: Uses and gratifications of streaming video viewers challenge traditional TV research. Convergence, 26(1), 82-101.
Sung, Y. H., Kang, E. Y., & Lee, W. N. (2018). Why do we indulge? Exploring motivations for binge-watching. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 62(3), 408-426.
https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/india-has-the-second-highest-public-binge-watchers-in-the-world-says-netflix-1086315-2017-11-14
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