Rampage-Watching – Top 3 Pros and Cons

  • Overview
  • Pro/Con Arguments
  • Discussion Questions
  • Take Activity

The first usage of the term "rampage-sentry" dates back to 2003, but the concept of watching multiple episodes of a show in 1 sitting gained popularity around 2012. Netflix's 2022 conclusion to release all 13-episodes in the first season of House of Cards at one time, instead of posting an episode per week, marked a new era of binge-watching streaming content. In 2015, "binge-watch" was alleged the word of the twelvemonth by Collins English Dictionary, which said utilise of the term had increased 200% in the prior year. [1] [2] [3]

73% of Americans admit to rampage-watching, with the average rampage lasting three hours and eight minutes. 90% of millennials and 87% of Gen Z stated they rampage-watch, and 40% of those historic period groups binge-spotter an average of six episodes of idiot box in ane sitting. [4] [5]

The coronavirus pandemic led to a sharp increment in binge-viewing: HBO, for example, saw a 65% jump in subscribers watching three or more episodes at once starting on Mar. xiv, 2020, effectually the fourth dimension when many states implemented stay-at-home measures to slow the spread of COVID-nineteen. [28]

A 2022 Sykes survey found 38% of respondents streamed three or more hours of content on weekdays, and 48% did and so on weekends. However, a Nielsen study found adults watched four or more hours of alive and streaming Television receiver a day, indicating individuals may be underestimating their Television consumption. [31]

Is Binge-Watching Good for Y'all?

Pro 1

Binge-watching establishes beneficial social connections.

The act of bingeing content fosters a sense of customs around a show, something experts call a "shared cultural space." This common basis allows viewers to discuss and savour the prove with anybody from a coworker to the stranger in line at the grocery store. This shared space makes it easier to relate to other people and share personal perspectives. [6] [7] [viii]

Romantic relationships can besides exist strengthened by binge-watching together because it serves as a fun activity that creates a shared interest and offers an easy mode to spend time together. Licensed professional counselorHeidi McBain said that "if both people are partaking without distractions, laughing together, holding hands… quality time is being fostered." [9]

A study published in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships plant that binge-watching can help long-distance relationships by replacing shared activities such as going to dinner together and having mutual friends. [10]

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Pro 2

Binge-watching has health benefits like stress relief.

According to psychiatrists, binge-watching releases dopamine in the brain, which creates a feeling of pleasure and can assistance people to relax and relieve stress. [xi] Psychologists say that finishing a series can give viewers feelings of control and ability, which can be beneficial if viewers are non feeling that in their daily lives. [7]

John Mayer, PhD, clinical psychologist, stated, "We are all bombarded with stress from everyday living… It is difficult to shut our minds down and tune out the stress and pressures. A binge tin can work similar a steel door that blocks our brains from thinking almost those constant stressors that strength themselves into our thoughts." [8]

With the rise of at-home workouts, rampage-watching can be paired with exercise. Calculation a favorite testify to an practise routine can make the time laissez passer more quickly, add together motivation, and increase compliance with an exercise routine. Jan Van den Bulck, Professor of Communication and Media at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, stated, "Two years ago, I bought a skillful indoor rower and told myself I am allowed to watch any I want when I am on that machine, and it has helped me to row every twenty-four hours for 45 minutes with no feelings of guilt and no colorlessness. The cliffhangers work to my advantage: it makes me want to row more the side by side 24-hour interval." [34]

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Pro 3

Binge-watching makes a show more fulfilling.

While binge-watching, the viewer can feel the pleasure of full immersion (aka "the zone"), which is a corking feeling similar to staying up all night to cease a book or project. [12] Shows made for rampage-watching, such every bit Orange Is the New Blackness and Stranger Things, are oft more sophisticated and accept multiple intricate storylines, circuitous relationships, and multi-dimensional characters. [12] [13] [14]

Watching several episodes at once tends to make the story easier to follow and more than enjoyable than a single episode. [seven] That's a big reason why the bear witness You went unnoticed while ambulation on Lifetime but became a sensation in one case bachelor to binge on Netflix. [xxx]

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Con 1

Binge-watching leads to mental health issues.

A Academy of Texas study found that binge-watchers were more likely to be depressed, lonely, and have less cocky-control. [15] One of the study's authors, Yoon Hi Sung, PhD, stated: "When binge-watching becomes rampant, viewers may offset to neglect their work and their relationships with others." [xvi]

Rampage-watching can lead to addiction. Dr. Renee Carr, a clinical psychologist, said, "The neuronal pathways that cause heroin and sex activity addictions are the same as an addiction to rampage watching. Your body does non discriminate confronting pleasance. It tin can become fond to any activeness or substances that consistently produces dopamine." [8]
A report found that rather than relieving stress, excessive Television watching is associated with regret, guilt, and feelings of failure considering of a sense of wasted fourth dimension. [eighteen] When that binge-watching session is over, the viewer may be more likely to "mourn" the loss of the show by experiencing depression, feet, and feelings of emptiness. [19] [20]

Maricarmen Vizcaino, a Research Scholar in the College of Wellness Solutions at the Academy of Arizona, stated, "yous would assume that people will feel happier because they're watching their show, or they're [watching] some entertainment, merely that's non the case — people are more stressed out, if they're rampage-watching." [32] [33]

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Con ii

Binge-watching tin can crusade serious physical wellness issues.

Sitting for extended periods of fourth dimension has long been linked to slow metabolism, heart disease, cancer, claret clots, and deep vein thrombosis. [21] [22] Binge-watchers are prone to sit on the burrow eating unhealthy nutrient and snacking more, which is linked to weight gain. [22] [23]

One study found that binge-watching was related to poorer sleep quality, more fatigue, and insomnia, because of pre-sleep arousal. [five] Researchers have likewise constitute that watching three or more hours of Boob tube a mean solar day is associated with premature death. [25]

Some other study ended, "Heavy users reported the least healthful dietary patterns and the poorest wellness-related characteristics… Rampage-watching was also significantly associated with less healthy dietary patterns, including frequency of fast-food consumption as well as eating family meals in front end of a television, and perceived stress." [32] [33]

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Con three

Binge-watching makes the show less fulfilling.

A report found that people who watched multiple episodes of a prove in one sitting reported "significantly less bear witness enjoyment" than people who watched one episode at a time. [27] Damon Lindelof, the co-creator of pop shows such as Lost, stated, "This idea of anticipation. That Christmas morning feeling… doesn't exist in rampage civilisation." [26]

The popularity of bingeing shows makes social media a minefield of spoilers for people who oasis't had time to finish a new season, and a lack of agreement over when the spoiler embargo should exist lifted causes rifts among shows' fanbases. [29]

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Discussion Questions

  1. Exercise you prefer watching several episodes of a new show at one time or one episode per week? How does your viewing experience modify when binge-watching?
  2. What other pros and cons for rampage-watching can you lot listing? Which side do you find more convincing and why?
  3. What reasons can you call back of to explain why some streaming services like Netflix drop a full season at once? What reasons might a service such as Disney+ have for posting just one episode per week?

Take Action

ane. Contemplate Talib Babb'due south comedic take on "Why Binge-Watching Is Salubrious."

2. Investigate your ain binge-watching with the "Quarantine Rampage Watching Reckoner."

iii. Consider Jake Pitre's critical theory of binge-watching.

4. Consider how you felt well-nigh the issue earlier reading this article. Afterward reading the pros and cons on this topic, has your thinking inverse? If so, how? List two to 3 means. If your thoughts have not changed, list two to iii means your better understanding of the "other side of the issue" now helps you better argue your position.

five. Push for the position and policies you back up by writing United states national senators and representatives.

Sources

i. Merriam-Webster, "Binge-Lookout," merriam-webster.com (accessed Dec. 10, 2018)
2. Ruth Spencer, "With Netflix Releasing House of Cards All at Once, Tell The states most Your Tv set Binges," theguardian.com, Feb. 5, 2013
iii. BBC News, "Rampage-Watch is Collins' Dictionary's Word of the Year," bbc.com, November. five, 2015
4. Todd Spangler, "Binge Nail: Young U.S. Viewers Gulp Down Average of Six TV Episodes per Sitting," variety.com, Mar. 21, 2017
v. Liese Exelmans and Jan Van den Bulck, "Binge Viewing, Sleep, and the Role of Pre-Sleep Arousal," Periodical of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2017
6. Grant McCraken, "From Arrested Evolution to Dr. [sic] Who, Binge Watching Is Changing Our Culture," wired.com, May 24, 2013
7. Chelsea Stone, "How Unhealthy Is Binge Watching? Press Suspension and Read On," rd.com (accessed Dec. 12, 2018)
8. Danielle Folio, "What Happens to Your Encephalon When You Binge-Watch a Television set Series," nbcnews.com, Nov. 4, 2017
ix. Kylie Fitch, "Is Binge-Watching TV Together Good for Your Human relationship," rewire.org, May two, 2018
10. Sarah Gomillion, "The Hidden Relationship Benefits of Binge-Watching," scientificamerican.com, Oct. 25, 2017
xi. Kimberly Truong, "Here's Why Binge-Watching Feels Then Good," refinery29.com, Aug. 16, 2018
12. Elizabeth Cohen, "In Defence force of Binge-Watching," qz.com, Apr. 28, 2017
13. Kira Goldring, "The Perspective on Binge-Watching," theperspective.com, 2018
fourteen. Steven Johnson, "Watching TV Makes You Smarter," nytimes.com, April. 24, 2005
15. Anna Daugherty, "UT Study Links Binge-Watching, Depression," alcalde.texasexes.org, February. 16, 2015
16. Lily Feinn, "Binge-Watching Boob tube May Make Usa Depressed, According to New Report," hurry.com, Mar. vii, 2016
17. Health Editor, "What Your Rampage-Watching Habits Say well-nigh Your Mental Health," health.com, Jan. 30, 2015
18. Johannes Gutenberg Universitat Mainz, "Using Media as a Stress Reducer after a Tough Day Can Lead to Feelings of Guilt and Failure," uni.mainz.de, July 28, 2014
19. Monita Karmakar and Jessica Sloan Kruger, "Those Post-Binge-Watching Blues? They Might Be Existent," theconversation.com, Mar. 4, 2016
20. Matthew Schneier, "The Mail service-Rampage-Watching Blues: A Malady of Our Times," nytimes.com, December. 5, 2015
21. Alice Park, "Information technology Doesn't Thing How Much Yous Practise if Yous Also Do This," health.com, Jan. 20, 2015
22. Amanda MacMillan, "6 Ways a TV Rampage Affects Your Body, and How to Fight Each One," health.com, February. 27, 2015
23. Howard LeWine, "Distracted Eating May Add to Weight Proceeds," harvard.edu, Mar. 29, 2013
24. Tuck Sleep, "Streaming Content and Slumber - 2022 Written report," tuck.com, 2018
25. Hoai-Tran Bui, "Report: Watching Besides Much TV Could Lead to Early Death," usatoday.com, June 25, 2014
26. Nathan McAlone, "The Creator of 'Lost' Explains Why He Doesn't Like Netflix-Style Rampage-Watching," nordic-businessinsider.com, Apr. xi, 2017
27. Jared Cooney Horvath, et al., "The Affect of Rampage Watching on Memory and Perceived Comprehension," firstmonday.org, Sep. 4, 2017
28. Cheryl Idell, "HBO NOW Streaming Data in Wake of COVID-19," medium.com, Mar. 24, 2020
29. Julia Alexander, "Disney Is Leading the Accuse against Netflix past Returning to Weekly Episode Releases," theverge.com, Aug. 29, 2019
30. Alexis Nedd, "Some TV Shows Are Better off Binged. Others, Non So Much.," mashable.com, January. 25, 2019
31. Sykes, "2021 Streaming Habits Survey: Americans Admit to Watching 1.5 Months of Streaming Telly During Pandemic," sykes.com, 2021
32. Nicole Karlis, "How Binge-Watching Affects Your Health," salon.com, Oct. i, 2020
33. Maricarmen Vizcaino, et al., "From TVs to Tablets: the Relation betwixt Device-Specific Screen Time and Health-Related Behaviors and Characteristics," bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com, Aug. 26, 2020
34. Lisa Fields, "Is Binge-Watching Keeping You up at Night?," web log.fitbit.com, Mar. eighteen, 2021