From Couch Potatoes to Binge-Watchers

People’s idea of a perfect recreation has changed over the years. Kids and adults alike used to turn their attention to outdoor activities like playing sports, camping, and going to the beach when they want to have fun. As technology advances, many devices that compete for people’s attention are being developed. I think that the more that people turn their attention to these devices, the more they get confined indoors or at home.

Television is one of those devices. In the past, people needed to set the schedule of their activities around the airtime of their favorite TV shows to make sure they didn’t miss them. However, when storage devices like VCDs and DVDs became more prevalent, people had the chance to enjoy movies and episodes of their favorite dramas in their own time.

With the advent of online streaming services like Netflix and video-sharing platforms like YouTube, people became increasingly exposed to more contents online. All they need to have are time and a device that connects to the web, and they pay little to nothing to enjoy watching.

Because of the many things that one can now find online, it is now possible for one to watch one season or multiple movies in one sitting. This is called binge-watching. For me, binge-watchers are like the new couch potatoes of the 21st century. Binge-watching became popular in 2013 when Netflix started airing episodes of its serial programming simultaneously.

Watching too much of anything for long periods of time has usually been viewed negatively since the term “couch potato” was coined. However, award-winning actor Kevin Spacey disagrees. He believes that people should be allowed to watch TV shows whenever and wherever they want. Contrary to watching TV where viewers have to wait for the next episodes which gives more room for piracy, binge-watching allows people’s attention to be retained for longer periods of time which may help reduce piracy. According to an essay by Kristin Barton, binge-watching is similar to reading a novel.

Despite the negative connotation of binge-watching, to a certain degree, I agree with the statements above. I believe binge-watching can only be dangerous because of the addictive nature of TV dramas. However, similar to reading, watching has undeniably been one of the best and most educational recreations that people engage in. The effects, good or bad, all depend on the doer of the action and not the action.