Dear Netlix addicts,
I am one of you. I have binge watched more shows on Netflix than I could possibly count. From "Parks and Recreation" and "The Office" to the latest release of "Fuller House," I've been there. I've pressed the Continue Watching button numerous times and gone through seasons of a show in a single day. The discovery of Netflix stands as the single best and worst day of my life and likely yours, too.
In the beginning, Netflix was there as something to do during study hall or after I was done with my homework. It was a place where I could catch up on past seasons of current shows or discover older shows that I had somehow missed when they aired. I could find something to suit any mood and any duration of time I had to watch; short comedy shows during study halls and longer, more dramatic shows for when I finally went home and got to relax.
Through the years, though, I've noticed the addiction as it grew. College allowed for more freedom and free time, which led to more episodes in one sitting. Before I knew it, hours would pass before I realized how much time I had just spent watching episode after episode. I was completing seasons of shows in record amounts of time (seriously, over a week-long Thanksgiving break, I watched almost five full seasons of "Parks and Recreation") and using Netflix to procrastinate doing assignments.
It's virtually impossible to go even a day without watching at least one episode of something on Netflix. On days where I don't load the Netflix webpage, I find that my day seems almost incomplete, almost like when you realize that you've gone a day without seeing your friend that you usually see daily. Every month, I wait for the lists of shows and movies being added and being removed so that I know what I should look forward to or binge watch before they're gone.
Being addicted to Netflix may seem like a minor addiction, but let me assure you: It is real. I can't even put a number on the amount of nights I've decided to spend in watching Netflix rather than go out and traipse around the city. I'd rather immerse myself into the lives of the characters on the screen rather than immerse myself into my own life that dulls in comparison. I mean, how could I not wish I was a part of the Seattle Grace Hospital surgical team or wish that I was a member of the "How I Met Your Mother" friend group?
In the end, Netflix is the source of our addiction. Does it ruin our lives sometimes? Absolutely. But does it make our lives better at the same time? Indubitably.
Binge on, Netflix addicts.
