I think we’ve all been there, although not everyone would like to admit it. Staying up all hours of the night finishing a whole season in just a week. Binge-watching has become such a popular thing that Netflix has produced and released whole seasons so that people can binge-watch shows like Orange is the New Black and bring back old favorites like Arrested Development.
Netflix recently conducted a study on a subset of their viewers and their viewing habits. The article “Netflix Declares Binge Watching is the New Normal” sums it up pretty nicely. In case you’re not interested in reading about study, I’ll just highlight some interesting points on viewer habits. First, they define binge-watching as watching 2-6 episodes in one sitting. The study also found that it doesn’t matter if a season has 13 episodes or 22 episodes, 47-48% of viewers will finish a season within a week. That’s dedication right there. Also, 73% of TV streamers say “they have positive feelings towards binge streaming TV.”
As a librarian, I have to question Netflix’s motives and credibility of conducting such a study. I found that the study was conducted by cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken. Another google search reveals that this man is literally the man when it comes to American culture. In short, Netflix hired a legit cultural anthropologist to tell us binge-watching is okay. Well done Netflix, well done.
Looking for more information on binge-watching? Here’s a recent blog article from the New Yorker about binge watching. And for a little variety, take a look at this article called “Stop Binge Watching TV” for reasons why we should be ashamed of ourselves.
For a little laugh, watch this little clip of Portandia binge-watching Battlestar Galactica. Maybe you can relate. In case you’re interested, Portandia and Battlestar Galactica are both available on Netflix!
http://youtu.be/aQttrkzWOo4