Did you know that since 2014, Netflix offers a feature that allows you to disable the automatic launch of the next episode? Obviously, this is not promoted by the platform but that said, will you disable this feature? Most people don’t realize that they can block autoplay. And that’s something Netflix has figured out. We are mere servants of the screen, unable to detach ourselves from it. Content is designed to be consumed in bursts.
Binge-watching, marathon-viewing or even bulimic viewing, the activity is discussed as a pathology. According to Urban Dictionary, Binge-watcher is the act of “Watching a TV series in a week with multiple seasons, and getting little or no sleep.” The purpose of video is to inform, teach, entertain and inspire. That purpose is lost if we don’t remember what we learn, enjoy and turn inspiration into action.
Yet these are the exact consequences of binge-watching TV series on Netflix and videos on Youtube. On the surface, it looks like a simple procrastination problem, but it’s much deeper than that. Yes, we use video to replace boredom with excitement, but why do we need it so badly?
Causes of binge-watching
According to journalist Emil Steiner, the reasons for binge-watching lie between a sense of achievement, cultural inclusion or the search for a state of relaxation, nostalgia. But there is an important element in popular culture when it comes to binge-watching: duty. It has almost become a cultural duty to watch this or that series. In order to feel included in the discussion, to belong to a social group, one MUST have followed the latest trends of the streaming platforms. Binge-watching continues to flourish in households, workplaces and friend groups. The degree between “you have to see it” and “don’t watch it” has an unfounded influence on the way we consume. It’s all or nothing. From an external point of view, it is a movement that tends to standardize all knowledge by emphasizing general culture at the expense of individual creativity.
The counter effect of irrationally promoting a movie or series without having seen it often leads to a referral phenomenon. That is, the refusal to watch a series because it has been so acclaimed by the pop-culture. This particular zeal to buck the trend often embodies contempt, as if these everyday critics would deign to watch this much heralded entertainment and not appreciate it. They would feel like they’ve been sold a dud. There’s a furious sense of entitlement — as if everything has to speak to or for everyone, instead of the rational view that some things will be made for you, and some things won’t.
The privileged ones of Binge-Watching
Free time has become one of the most precious commodities. An aversion to boredom and a low tolerance for impatience are at the origin of the binge culture. Greedy for excess, our distraction-hungry minds constantly need to be fed. And what is more excessive than a series that (almost) never ends? To quote Oscar Wilde, “Moderation is a fatal thing.”
The pressure of this incessant pleasure comes from the fact that everyone has different amounts of free time. Someone with small children will have less time for binge-watching. Similarly, people who work multiple jobs, evening shifts or other family obligations are less likely to effortlessly swallow a twelve-episode series each week.
The gap in technological privilege is constantly shifting. In the beginning, the gap was between those who could and could not own an expensive smartphone or tablet. Today, these gadgets are still expensive, but they are now considered a necessity, even for those living below the poverty line. Yet as the gap closes, a new divide is opening: between those who use their tablets profusely and those who have begun to limit their screen time.
However, in a world filled with the din of entertainment galore: the collective narrative of social networks, the multiple sagas of pay-per-view television — having your own internal, singular narrative is simply essential.
A harmful addiction?
Instead of thinking of streaming platforms as part of the millennial landscape, we should see it as a veritable devouring algorithm trying to sell us more than what it’s already got us hooked on. Clinical psychologists agree that binge-watching marathons of our favorite series triggers a release of dopamine in the brain. Engaging in an activity that stimulates dopamine, the chemical that gets the brain high, makes the body completely addicted. The brain reinforces and motivates the resumption of that activity. Combined with the fact that our subconscious mind projects real emotions onto the characters and stories seen on the screen, this addiction blurs the line between real life and fiction. Indeed, by investing ourselves in a story and identifying with the characters, the line becomes blurred. The reason for the feeling of melancholy at the end of a season comes from the level of excitement in the brain which drops drastically in the second when the ending music resounds and the credits start to roll.
Along with the impact on our brain’s hormones, the second fear associated with binge-watching is the erosion of memory. It has been proven that the exaggerated consumption of streaming content leads to consequences on the cognitive level. This impact on our cognitive functions is explained by the rapid changes of images and sounds, information that our brain receives passively. In front of a broadcast program, we do not interact with what we see. Unlike a video game or an online search, which are active actions. This alters our memory, especially our verbal memory. Indeed, more and more, with the invention of the internet, we outsource our memory. Maybe it’s not so efficient to use our brainpower when the internet can store the information for us? However, the idea of outsourcing the brain to a hard drive is terrifying.
An hypnotic effect
In 2017, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings said “our biggest competitor is sleep.” Staying up until 3 a.m. in a dilemma between being tired and wanting to watch one last episode is what streaming platforms play on.
In the end, suspenseful episode endings cause stress and our brain finds the solution to relieve this feeling: press the “Next episode” button.
