Binge Watching by Abby Edgerton

For many Americans in today’s society, the best way to wind down after a long day at work or school is getting a snack, kicking up your feet, and watching one, two, three… maybe twelve episodes of your favorite show. Unfortunately, binge watching has become an overwhelming epidemic that is seizing people’s health and social life.  Yoon Hi Sung, a researcher at the University of Texas at Austin, studied not only the effects of binge watching, but also what causes people to engage in it. Sung surveyed over 300 young adults between the ages of 18-29 and he found that individuals who were more lonely or depressed had a higher binge watching rate than those who believed they were content or happy (Preidt).

Binge watching is perceived to be a harmless act that has no notable effect on the mind or body. This is false. Spending too much time watching television can lead to obesity, diabetes, chronic back pain, insomnia, higher mortality risk, physical fatigue, depression, and many other side effects (Schnell). If a majority of people participating in binge watching are already depressed or lonely; these effects can be heightened and can be even more dangerous than people who are binge watching, but feel happy and healthy. Considering these life threatening effects, would you be willing to put your life in danger for just a couple hours of your favorite show?

Binge watching has become an increasing threat to this generation, as we have access to hundreds of television shows at the click of a button, via Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant Video. However, not many people know that this actually was a problem before streaming became popular. Prior to society’s favorite binge watching outlet, many Americans would record their favorite shows on VHS tapes, and with time they would accumulate enough episodes on the VHS to rewatch over and over. This was never classified as the social epidemic of binge watching because people did it in the privacy of their own home and it was never exploited on social media. For example, looking into our VHS cabinet at home I am surrounded by at least eight VHS tapes labeled “Andy Griffith Season 1”, “Andy Griffith Season 2”, “Andy Griffith Season 3”, and so on all the way to the eighth season. Little did I know- my parents, who often get onto me for my problem with binge watching, are not so innocent after all! They too tried to escape the pressures and stresses of reality and wind down with some laughs from their favorite show. Certain addictive qualities are passed through genetics such as drug addiction and alcohol addiction… Maybe binge watching is an addiction passed through genetics as well- if so, they certainly passed it to me. 

Fast forward to today’s society and all you hear is “I just wanna watch netflix”, “I can’t wait to go home and watch Netflix”, and the very famous “Netflix and chill”. Netflix was created in 1997, and it was first used as a DVD-by-mail company in 1998 (Netflix, Inc. History). Binge watching was never a possibility at this time, as it was more expensive to order every single season, and if you did, it would take time to receive the shows, and then you’d have to mail them back by a specific date. Another option would be to go to a store, such as Target or Best Buy, and purchase full seasons of a show, which a lot of times cost as much as $60 (target.com- Breaking Bad: The Final Season)- which is much more expensive for ONE show than only $7.99 per month with unlimited access to hundreds of tv shows (Is Netflix Worth The Money?).

           

Society today has hypnotized humans into engaging in this alluring activity. Social media, such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have proven this to be true as people will not only post, but they will brag about how they have been watching a show for countless hours. For example, when the third season of Orange is the New Black was released in the Summer of 2015, there was an overwhelming response on Twitter, nearly two-thirds of my Twitter feed was about the new season, and how people had completely finished all thirteen episodes in less than three days, and that they were depressed they would have to wait an entire year for another season.

In some cases, binge watching can lead to very dangerous behavior as it alters a person’s perception of reality. In October of 2015, a man brutally beat his friend to death after binge watching a popular television show on Netflix, The Walking Dead (Stelloh). Apparently, the man’s friend tried to “bite him”, thus making the man believe that his friend was a zombie. He proceeded to beat his friend with an electric guitar and a microwave, while also stabbing him with kitchen knives (Page 1). While binge watching typically occurs through Netlfix, this isn’t always the case. In 2014, the Fifa World Cup was in full swing. A man was watching all the way through the “Netherlands 5-1 victory over Spain” at 5am his time zone-this was not the first night he stayed awake watching the games- when he was found dead sitting in front of his television. Doctors say he died from sleep deprivation, or a heart attack brought on by constant wakefulness. Both of these examples show that binge watching is not only dangerous for your weight and body, it is literally DEADLY!