Why You Should (and Shouldn't) be Binge-Watching

Is it an enhanced experience or new addiction?

Originally published on May 16, 2016

For one of my classes I did a partner presentation about video streaming, and one of the effects I researched and talked about was the practice of binge-watching. We all do it: sitting in front of our laptops, letting Netflix or other streaming service of choice roll through episode after episode. It is a fun way to burn through a few years’ worth of TV in a few weeks. But there are also some negatives to binge-watching. The goal is to find the balance between the two as streaming becomes more popular and binge-watching transitions to becoming more normal than a weekly format.

First, the positives. With binge-watching, you are watching many episodes in a row, instead of waiting a week or more between them. Therefore, you can more easily detect things like foreshadowing and details in dialogue that call back to previous episodes, as well as follow secondary story lines that may have other episodes between plot points. When watching a weekly format, I know I sometimes have trouble remembering what happened the last episode, especially if it is a serial show (a continuing storyline as opposed to a standalone episode), from week to week and I am grateful for the “previously on” sometimes thrown in there. Another positive thing about binge-watching is the fact that cliffhangers (those things that make season finales unbearable and cause fans everywhere to stress for a couple months) really do not exist. The only exception would be if the show has not finished airing and when you are through with it on your streaming service, you have to wait for it to air in regular time. There have been many times I watch a season finale and think to myself “That was a good cliffhanger! I’m glad I don’t have to wait three months for a resolution!” and click ‘Next episode’. Problem solved.

There are also several negatives to binge-watching. First, it can be argued that watching the same show for a while is a negative thing; the episodes start to blur together and you find yourself only passively watching, the opposite effect the writers and producers are striving for. Another interesting effect of binge-watching is the non-existence of one-time special events. When Netflix releases all of the episodes of their original content at once, the finale is not so special if all the viewers are watching at different times. Series finales for shows like M*A*S*H and Breaking Bad were cultural events that had millions gathered around their TV’s. This cannot really be repeated with streamed-only shows. The final negative thing about binge-watching is that it can very easily become an addiction. Since episodes continue automatically, it might be difficult to stop watching after a while. And once the show finishes, addicts can go through withdrawal symptoms; it’s worse when they have to wait a couple months for a new episode.

Despite all the negatives, I will still continue binge-watching. You will probably too. It’s the new style of watching TV, and, like the streaming that facilitates it, is growing in popularity and here to stay in our culture.