Just One More Episode Mom...

Binge-watching loosely means watching about 2–8 episodes of the same TV show in a row. Since the rise in the number of websites for watching series and movies, binge-watching has become a prominent cultural phenomenon. They are all fighting for the so-called ‘digital supremacy’ and trying to compete for our time.

The only question which arises here is- Why do we do it? Why do we crave for it all the time?

Due to the global pandemic, a variety of shows and movies have come up. This has changed the mindset of the people and has also allowed viewers to find commonality and breach the barriers to immersion more easily. While binge-watching, the viewer feels the pleasure of full immersion, which is a great feeling similar to staying up all night to finish an assignment or a project. Shows made for binge-watching are often more sophisticated and have multiple intricate storylines and multi-dimensional characters.

The story in several acts and series or movies can catch up a swift speed which encourages people to become even more engrossed in these. What most series do to keep viewers coming back for more is to end an episode without a specific resolution and a set of suspense, leaving us with these unsettled and negative feelings. To combat the feelings that you have to watch for knowing “What happens next?! I can’t miss the next season!!” When one particular series of tension-creating events gets resolved, that’s when you finally decide to take a break.

Just last week, I was in a line to buy groceries, and I overheard two ladies having a conversation. One was talking about how she watched 2 to 3 full seasons of a show in one week which was inconceivable.

Let’s do the math here: 45 minutes per episode. 12 episodes per season.

That equates to 18–27 hours per week! Isn’t that too much exposure!

Could you imagine what you could accomplish, placing that type of time you binge-watch in learning a new skill, a new hobby, or putting a little more effort into your academics?

“Live like no one else today so that you can live like no one else tomorrow.”