BINGE WATCHING TV SERIES
BY DANA COLLINS
People all over the world enjoy watching the newest TV
series in the comfort of their own homes, but it can go terribly
wrong when people become obsessed with watching them.
According to Dictionary.com, binge-watching is the act of
viewing multiple videos, and episodes of TV shows in one
sitting or over a short period of time. Watching TV series is
actually loved by millions of people all over the world and
that’s why so many people take up the habit of binge-
watching TV series. Binge-watching TV series can cause
people to have anxiety issues, become depressed, and even
increase peoples' stress levels. Hopefully TV series will catch
on and more people will start to watch and enjoy them but
keeping the health risks in mind.
When I asked Mina Marinkovic, a junior at Shanghai
Livingston American School about what she thought about
TV series, her response was, “It’s something that I enjoy, and
can’t stop watching when I start because they’re so good.
When I start watching I don’t want to stop; and even when
I’m not watching them, I’m still thinking about them.”
Nowadays, watching TV series is socially accepted as
something people can do without being judged. One of the
most common leisure time activities in the United States is
watching and binge-watching a series. A survey by “Netflix”
showed that 73 percent of the respondents viewed binge-
watching as a socially acceptable behavior. A similar survey
by “TiVo” showed negative perceptions about binge-
watching has decreased, and about 92 percent of the
respondents to the “TiVo” survey reported that they’ve binge-
watched series at some point. It’s discovered that those who
binge-watch series lack the self-regulation to stop, which
suggests that watching TV series is actually an addictive
behavior. This is why people tend to say “I’m obsessed” or
“I’m addicted” when watching TV series. The reason why
people binge-watch TV series is that multiple episodes
weren’t available in the past, but nowadays people can watch
multiple to full seasons of TV series at a time which causes
binge-watching to catch on.
Jerry Wang, a senior at Shanghai Livingston American School
commented, “I love watching Game of Thrones, but I also
like to watch Modern Family, Mom, Brooklyn Night, and
Forever because it gives me something to do when I’m bored
and it also makes me feel relaxed when I am watching.” I then
asked him about his favorite type of series and why he likes
them, he said, “I prefer watching comedies because they give
me something to enjoy when I’m home alone, or with friends
and family.”
Binge-watching TV series can cause some serious health
problems. With that in mind, it’s best to keep yourself at a
steady pace when watching one of your favorite shows while
also staying happy and healthy. There is nothing more
relaxing than sitting at home with your friends or family and
watching series. So hopefully watching TV series will catch on.
11