In a world of instant gratification and streaming services, binge-watching has never been easier. Binge watching is classified as watching between 2-6 episodes of a tv show in one sitting. 2-6 episodes sounds like amateur hour to me. It is also classified as watching a season over the course of a few days. Binge watching is like a drug. When you are participating in an activity that you enjoy your brain makes dopamine. Dopamine makes us feel happy and elated. This “high” is similar to highs given by drugs or other brain stimulating substances with addictive traits. 73% of people surveyed in Netflix’s report about binge watching have positive feelings and thoughts about binge watching. Netflix is one of the major contributors to binge watching and its popularity. The streaming service even has a section on their platform titled “Bingeworthy TV Shows”.
The Most Binged
As we are all familiar, the pandemic life meant that many of us were staying home, especially during the Spring and Summer months. According to TvTime.com the most binged Show of 2020 is Friends! Does this surprise you? Sitcoms tend to be the most binged according to The Binge report for the Year of 2020. It lists the top ten shows binged as:
1. Friends (NBC)
2. Lucifer (Netflix)
3. Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)
4. Money Heist (Netflix)
5. Modern Family (ABC)
6. Brooklyn Nine-Nine (NBC)
7. The Office (NBC)
8. One Piece (Fuji)
9. Sex Education (Netflix)
10. How I Met Your Mother (CBS)
The opposite of binge watching is Snack Culture. This is a South Korean trend of watching entertainment media in short spans. These short spans are about fifteen minutes or less. Snack culture was created when smart phones became more popular and content creators needed to find a way to reach an busy population. Snack Culture is also very popular and prevalent with webtoons, which release short comics each week that are very easy to read through and often end on cliff hangers. The name comes from the fact that it is simplified content and easier to “consume” or pay attention to.
The negative effects of binge watching may include that binge watching isolates you, especially if you lose track of time while watching tv. Binge watching tv may increase anxiety and depression, lack of physical activity, and back problems depending on posture while watching. Watching lots of tv can also cause sleep problems like troubles falling asleep. Some tips to manage your binge watching and your health include giving yourself a limit, watching during the day time, and taking breaks. Giving yourself a limit, whether it be time based or episode based, can help keep the amount of tv you watch measurable and in control. Watching when it’s the daytime will help your body and brain separate the two, and you can reduce the sleep problem associated with watching tv.
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