Due to websites like Netflix, Hulu+, HBO Go, and various other video streaming websites, television watching has been taken to a new level. New words, social customs, and even commercials have been developed simply because it’s so common now to sit and watch Netflix for hours at a time. There are pros and cons to this phenomenon, and there’s no real winner here.
Pro: Instant Gratification
Every show has cliffhangers, and sometimes they’re the most painful things you go through in life. When watching a show week by week, some cliffhangers turn me into a zombie. All I can do is wait and worry about what will happen because of my emotional attachment to the show. When binge-watching, that sense of anxiety only lasts for the eight seconds it takes you to click the “continue watching” button and get through the buffering. Binge-watching greatly reduces the mental and physical stress of the week-long wait.
Con: You Have To Wait For Others To Catch Up
Me: Oh my god I just watched the third episode of season nine and it was the greatest thing that’s ever happened to me! It’s the one where-
Friend: LA LA LA I CAN’T HEAR YOU I’M ONLY ON SEASON FIVE
Me: You need to catch up, I have to share my feelings.
Friend: Rachel… That’ll take me three weeks without going to class.
Me: Better start now then.
Pro: Foreshadowing
The good shows are usually excellent at foreshadowing. For example, one episode in season four of the CW’s "Supernatural" foreshadowed the entire plot line of season nine. The entire season foreshadowed by one scene. When one binge-watches, there’s less time between seasons, so you theoretically remember more without having to watch the whole series again (which I do anyway).
Pro: “Nothing’s On”
During everyday television programming, sometimes there’s just nothing on that you want to watch. With shows like Netflix, what you want to watch is always on and always ready for you to watch the next episode. You don’t have to wait for ABC Family’s rerun marathon, you can have it right now.
Con: The End
The show that you’re watching, your favorite show, the one that changed your life, the one that ran for over ten seasons… You finished it. It only took you a few months, and there’s no more left. It’s like going cold turkey after an addiction. You fall into the #showhole. Like the Amazon fire commercial, why even own a tv anymore? After the period of mourning, you cope by finding another show and, you guessed it, binge-watch it.
I don’t think the world will ever come to a consensus about whether binge-watching is bad for you or not, but I will continue to do it until the day I die. It’s a lifestyle choice, and I’m proud.
