It was not that long ago that the term "binging" was only referred to in the negative. Binge-eating is a real medical disorder that leads to an uncontrollable eating behavior. Binge-drinking was associated with the same problem, but with alcohol. Neither of these activities are healthy or could be sustained over one’s life without some bad effects on one’s health.

Now, we have binge-watching and the positive connotation that surrounds the culture worries me.

Yes, binge watching does not hurt anyone else in the process and it is a free country, but I would like to exercise some caution in the support that binging gets.

I don’t mean to sound too presumptuous, but the question that I think people should ask themselves before going on another binge is whether they really enjoy the show, or if they just want to use it as a distraction for something else. Procrastination comes to mind, but I’m referring to something a bit more clinical. I can’t help but notice how many people feel fine calling themselves addicts or laughing off how many seasons that they watched over a weekend.

The culture that surrounds it does not feel like it enjoys the show so much as it just wants to take in more of it. I’m not a doctor, but it does not sound at all healthy. If people can go through so much trouble with physical addictions like sugar and nicotine, then I think there is a mental one going on here with binging.

The ubiquity of Netflix and the reinforcing nature of the program make the company’s intentions uncertain. It’s no wonder that the next episode is already queued and ready to go without any input needed from the viewer. Things stretch out not from episode to episode, but one long mass of time that, in my experience, made me confused to my surroundings.

It’s like the “what year is it” sort of feeling after waking up, but it is self-inflicted.

More people watching and more popular shows to draw people in only means more money for Netflix, so it’s no wonder that the website is set up that way. However, I just want people to understand the effects that watching so much TV in a row might have. It can also lead to a sort of conditioning effect or lead to more time during the day devoted to it.

Watching TV is fine, but is binging really doing anything to improve your life?