Just over a month ago Netflix released its new 13 episode series
titled “House of Cards” – all at once.
Finally, Americans can watch shows in the same way they eat their food
and drink their alcohol – in droves.
Many are claiming that this groundbreaking
new release method is an attempt to change the way we watch television shows,
while Netflix claims it simply allows people to watch shows at their own pace. Regardless, the perceived result of this
release model is that most people are watching several episodes in one sitting,
coining a new term called“binge-watching.
In reality, Netflix is not causing
this style of viewing, but just rather the first company to adapt to it, since
this is how many people watch television shows already. This release model is fueling the even
more concerning problem of the mass consumption habits of Americans.
College
students are undoubtedly dead center on the target demographic for a show like
“House of Cards.” The show, however, is
also aimed at a much wider audience as well. This audience is one that doesn’t
have time to set aside every weeknight to watch their favorite television shows
when they air for the first time. David
Fincher, the director of the first two episodes and also an execute producer
for the series, says, “The world of 7:30 on Tuesday nights, that’s dead. A stake has been driven through its heart,
its head has been cut off, and its mouth stuffed with garlic. The captive audience is gone. If you give people this opportunity to
mainline all in one day, there’s reason to believe that they will do it.” While a stake might not have been driven
through that release model’s heart, it is a quickly evaporating audience who
still waits for the weekly airing of their favorite show. When I talk to my peers in college about what
they did over the weekend a common response will be something to the effect of
“I took it easy and watched two seasons of ‘Breaking Bad,’” or “I watched an
entire season of ‘The Wire.’” I indulged
in the binge-viewing craze myself last winter break when I had a cold and
watched the whole first season of “Game of Thrones” in just two days.
Since the
world has been introduced to streaming content, fewer people watch television
in the traditional sense. The writer of
“House of Cards,” Beau Willimon, states: “Streaming is the future. TV will not be TV in five years from now…
everyone will be streaming.” This
furthers the statement that Netflix is not creating the binge-watcher, but
rather perpetuating it. They are the
first to release all episodes of a major television show at once, but by doing
so they are just fueling an over-indulgent American mentality that already
exists.
Netflix
release model for “House of Cards” is essentially capitalizing on the perceived
over-indulgent, “super-size-me-mentality” of most Americans. By releasing all episodes at once, and making
nearly 13 hours of content available in an instant, Netflix is banking on
American’s inability to delay gratification.
This is a highly bankable idea considering the way Americans consume
food, the way they consume alcohol, and the way they have begun to consume
their media. Some is good, more is
better.
Everyone
knows the consequences of over-eating are becoming obese. Binge drinking leads to poor decision making
in the short-term and long-term health problems. But in this 21st century,
technology plagued time that we live now live in, what will be the effects of
binge consuming media? Netflix is not
the first to put out potential commercial break advertisers by being
subscription based like HBO or Showtime, they are certainly putting pressure on
advertisers to become more creative in their attempts to reach consumers. However, just because the streaming “House of
Cards” is commercial free doesn’t mean it’s free of advertisements. Apple, Blackberry, Sony, and Nike are just a few of the
brands that I have noticed being deliberately placed in frame.
Apart from
the advertising world, how will binge viewing affect the average Joe and
Jane? Of course excessive television can
melt your brain,
but what’s the worst that can come from occasionally zoning out for a few days
to watch a TV series? It seems many of
the long and short term effects of binge-viewing have remained to be seen, but
all I know is my roommate hasn’t come out of his room since last semester when
he got a Netflix account… maybe it’s time to check on him.
After recently completing a binge Game of Thrones marathon during a sick week, I find this post interesting. Had I not had both of the first two seasons so accessible to me, I imagine I would have become tired of flipping through the channels on the television and instead picked up a book or god forbid some of that homework I’ve been meaning to get too. I find myself kind of wishing there had been some type of limit on my television watching so I didn’t feel so brain fried and disconnected from reality by the end of each day. Instead of getting together with friends once every week to watch the next episode as it airs, sites like Netflix allow viewers to burrow in their apartments and binge for hours at a time. I appreciate the metaphor to binge eating on three supersized bigmacs with a six pack. Like food, I don’t think that most of us will have the self-control to press pause and wait to see what happens next when the whole season is ready for viewing.
ReplyDeleteI remember also watching House of Cards in one sitting when it first came out. I started watching it around 11pm and ended going to be bed around 9am the following morning. I was exhausted, but pretty sure I would have continued if there were more episodes to watch. Till now, I am still yearning for season 2. Most of the reason I watched the entire series was because of my passion for politics. The other was because it was during the break and I really didn't have much to do. Having said this, I don't see how this relate to the consumption of food, alcohol, and so forth. With the aforementioned, you reach a point where you can no longer go--you just have to stop! Yes, it does come down to self control, but the effects aren't as damaging as drugs, alcohol, etc.... But yes, we need to exercise our will power and self control.
ReplyDeleteWhile I am guilty of binge watching an entire season of Breaking Bad in a single day last summer, I do agree with you about the unhealthy nature of binge watching television through services like Hulu Plus and Netflix (if hypocritically). I believe the notion of instant gratification (getting what you want, when you want it) is becoming increasingly engrained into the collective American psyche. This notion is as responsible for the obesity epidemic as it is for this binge television viewing epidemic. With the rise of the Internet, where almost any bit of information you could ever imagine needing is at your fingertips, instant gratification is increasingly afflicting Americans.
ReplyDeleteAnd I say Americans because I mean just that--this notion is something that is less prevalent in other countries. It seems to me that other nations (some European countries, South American countries) hold value in the idea of moderation. It seems unlikely to me that the average Internet-using citizen in these areas would binge watch television all day. I think this is the case because people in these areas have more of an adventurous attitude, that is to say, they value interpersonal relationships and real world experience over cheap online imitations. Of course, I haven't done any research on the topic, so I can't be sure. However, it seems to me like this attitude of instant gratification is extremely detrimental to Americans as it places value on the quick and easy solutions to one's problems.
I believe this argument is stretched a little too thinly to be a strong one that holds. Like the comments above I believe your metaphors are too dramatic resulting in the piece not being as effective as it could be. You might have a point about how releasing seasons of shows to the public all at once allows people to abuse television watching but, relating that to food and drug abuse weakens your argument for me. Many people like myself (and most likely Environmental Examiner) cannot be by the television every Sunday night at nine pm to watch Game of Thrones. Being able to enjoy shows when you can is an advantage. If people abuse it like people can abuse drinking water, that is on them. Having opportunities available to escape the stress of school and work when there is time for it, is another way to look at Netflix that should not be ignored.
ReplyDeleteIf you think I’m stretching the point too thin, then you are missing the point completely. I’m not saying Netflix is a bad thing, or convenience is a bad thing, or even that the “House of Cards” release model is a bad thing; what I’m saying is that, like the way people lack self control when they eat and drink, people are consuming media in too massive of amounts. I’m not AT ALL saying that releasing all the episodes at once is a bad thing, just that watching all 13 episodes in one or two sittings is a bad thing. Netflix has completely opened the door for people to watch at their convenience, as you pointed out, but the abuse of the freedom is what I am critiquing. The Sunday night at 9 pm model is dead, and I think that is great because it’s such an antiquated viewing method and television release model. Watching at one’s own convenience is also great. Eating three Big Macs is bad. Drinking twelve beers is bad. Watching thirteen episodes IS BAD. Hopefully this lays it out my “thin argument” a little more clearly for you. Try to reread the article a little slower next time… oh, and stop eating your crayons - it’s bad for your health.
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