Netflix. Hulu. Amazon.
We’re living in an era overrun with series ranging from fantastic to jaw-droppingly awful. With old shows being added to streaming rosters and new ones in production all the time, there is literally more content available than even the greatest couch potatoes can view in its entirety.
Many have been quick to note the danger in too much of a good thing, and as I debate whether to skim “House of Cards” again or start burning through ten seasons of “NCIS,” it’s hard not to see their point.
As much as I like having all my favorite shows available at my discretion, the phenomenon of binge-watching is very real and potentially harmful if taken to extremes.
There’s the obvious drain on your time and social life, while some suggest the thrill of clicking that next episode may even be considered a kind of addiction.
But let’s be honest—how many people are going to curb their excessive viewing just because they’re told it’s an unhealthy habit? When you wake up surrounded in last night’s snacks, see the cue lit up for the next season of "Orange Is the New Black," and press play instead of showering, you probably realize today isn’t going to be productive. Netflix even poked fun at themselves earlier this year with April Fools’ binge-watching awareness adds.
Modifying how you binge-watch—rather than trying to quit altogether—can be an appealing solution to your slow transformation into a television craving zombie.
Just because you’re watching something doesn’t mean you can’t multitask. Streaming services can make decent background noise for assignments that take lots of time but don’t necessarily demand much attention.
Breaking your studying into pieces interrupted by an episode (or more, depending on how you like your breaks) takes much of the stress out of a heavy workload.
Set a goal and reward yourself for reaching it. Read X number of chapters before getting your next dose of “Arrow” or “Downton Abbey.”
If trying to watch and work distracts from both, make binge-watching a social event whenever possible—try to avoid the loner couch-a-thon. One of the best benefits of streaming is bringing family and friends together for a night of entertainment on their schedule.
It’s an excellent pastime for couples too; plenty of people are willing to review their favorite series just to see their boyfriend/girlfriend’s reaction to seeing it for the first time.
If you do go it alone, set your “Game of Thrones” fueled insomnia session to a day you know you don’t have to get up early the next morning. It’s a lot easier to justify saying no to episode one than episode seventeen, and your boss may not sympathize with trying to avoid spoilers by tackling three seasons at once.
At this point, it’s fair to say streaming could be the future of the televised experience. Fewer and fewer content providers are trying to make us watch at their pace, releasing entire seasons at once rather than tease viewers with one episode per week.
That being said, I prefer to think of binge-watching as an unanticipated part of industries that are (for the moment) a little ahead of their time.
Just remember that while most people can probably relate to your hobby, they also like you better when you do things like maintain personal hygiene and pay bills on time.
