I watch Netflix sometimes. I’ll turn on my PlayStation and open up the Netflix app, and I’ll watch the little bar fill up while it updates. There’s a gentle thrill in watching those percentages rack up.
Or maybe I’ll boot it up and slowly browse through my overly-extensive list of things to watch. Again. And again. And again. I watch the pictures and the laughably-bad descriptions float by. I watch Netflix.
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But when my friends tell me they unwound on Sunday afternoon by “watching Netflix,” I think they’re lying to me. I think they watched Orange is the New Black. Or they watched The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt. Or they watched Stranger Things. They didn’t watch Netflix.
This may be a hokey line to draw, but I think it’s important. I’ve wondered far too often why this lingo became so commonplace. Is it because it’s a simple shorthand? Because you’re ashamed you spent two hours watching Doctor Who? Because watching Netflix is so deeply embedded in our culture that the company matters more than the content?
For all my obsessive speculation, I have no sound answer. My fear though, is that perpetuating this tendency of shorthand has an unfortunate result. Regardless of your intention, just saying that you “watched Netflix” means that that time you spent had no point to it. If it did, you would have explained what it was. People say it like a concession – “oh, I just watched Netflix” – because it protects them from stepping out in their individuality.
Is that ridiculous? Am I crazy? In all likelihood, but I still think it’s true. I think that “watching Netflix” is just an easy way to blend in. There’s no more shame in watching It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia because you needed to laugh, then watching House of Cards because of the deep character drama. There’s nothing intrinsically better about The West Wing then there is about Grey’s Anatomy. Every time you watch something, there’s a reason. Whether you’re analyzing cinematography and narrative structure or just trying to unwind, there’s a purpose behind the watching that is unique to you. And it frustrates me to see people throw that distinct, personal perspective out in favor of cultural shorthand for laziness.
I hear the same thing with music sometimes now too. People tell me they “listen to Spotify” instead of declaring that genre, or that band, or that one song they really love. And it bothers me. The art you enjoy and the way you enjoy it are a part of who you are, so own it. In a generation that is constantly characterized by mindless adherence to digital trends, own it. In a time when mass generalizations and stereotyping keep creating division, own it. Defining ourselves on our own terms is how we prove ourselves unique. And while embracing your instant queue may seem like a silly way to go about that, it’s the silly stuff that you can’t afford to ignore.
Watching Netflix is a waste of time. It is an utter waste to reduce yourself to a buzz-phrase. Watch something. Listen to something. Be proud of it. Otherwise you might as well spend your afternoon watching that update bar fill up.
