By Harrison Leone
Associate Editor
You can binge eat, you can binge drink and now, thanks to the rise of internet streaming services such as Netflix and Hulu, as well as the reliable DVD box-set, you can binge watch. From college students to retirees, millions of Americans are firing up their tablets and Xbox Ones and settling into the sublime stupor that is binge watching.
According to Netflix, binge watching is defined as watching two to three episodes of a TV show in one sitting. A study conducted by the site in November 2013 found that 61 percent of a sample of its subscribers binge watched regularly. In addition, the study found that nearly three quarters of respondents had a favorable opinion of the practice.
Ryan DeOrdio, a senior journalism and mass communication major, said he likes binge watching more than the standard weekly viewing schedule of cable and network television.
“I definitely prefer binge watching,” DeOrdio said. “I’d much rather watch a show on Netflix instead of waiting a week to see what happens. I can’t imagine having to wait a week to see what happens on some shows”
Besides affording viewers more control over when they watch a show, DeOrdio also said binge watching allows viewers to catch up on shows they may have missed.
“I tend to be way behind on popular TV shows, binge watching allows me to catch up” DeOrdio said.
Junior chemistry major Ryan Lim also said he prefers online binging.
“Personally, I enjoy it, especially if the series is already complete,” Lim said. “With binge watching, you can still have that ‘I can’t believe that just happened’ moment and then go right on to the next one. No more ‘I’m going to go crazy for a whole week or blow up the internet with theories.’”
Sophomore history major Sara Apenowich said while she does engage in occasional binge watching, she still enjoys the standard style of TV viewing.
“I usually binge watch only on the weekends,” Apenowich said. “I still keep many shows on during the week.”
While it may seem that devoting hours at a time to passive entertainment may interrupt school work or other extracurricular activities, most students said they were able to keep their priorities straight.
“(Balancing binge watching and school work) is not an issue for me at all,” junior political science major Steve Kibbe said. “I am able to achieve a great balance.”
DeOrdio agreed he does not shirk his work, adding that binge watching can be used as a motivator to get work done so the shows can be enjoyed guilt-free.
“If I have something pressing to do, I get that done first,” DeOrdio said. “The way I see it, I’d rather finish up my responsibilities then reward myself with being lazy instead of having things hang over my head.”
Apenowich said binge watching does not distract her and in fact helps her to focus on getting work done.
“It does not really interfere with anything,” Apenowich said. “I watch alone and I’m able to get stuff done while the shows are on.”
However, Lim acknowledged that the amount of time invested in gorging on a series for hours at a time will inevitably interfere with other work.
“To be honest, I feel I binge watch when I’m trying to avoid my responsibilities and school work,” Lim said. “For TV shows, it’s 20 to 30 minutes each, and if you’re watching three-plus episodes, that’s a huge time suck.”
Students often rely on peer suggestions to guide their binge watching habits.
“I’ll watch something online when I get a good recommendation for a show,” junior journalism and mass communication major Eustace Browne said.
Apenowich also said that she bases her viewing selections on popular opinions.
“To decide what to watch, I’ll look at what’s known as a good show, such as ‘American Horror Story,’” Apenowich said.
It would appear that the future of television is trending away from the familiar weekly broadcast style to a more personalized style of entertainment. With thousands of hours of content online, ready to be pulled up, paused and rewound with a mouse click or keystroke, binge watching seems poised to be the viewing method of choice for the young adults of America.
