Audiences could binge-watching TV series via RCDs and VCRs previously, but at that time, binge-watching had equipment, time and location requirements, and the choice was limited. But as Mareike Jenner (2018, p.109) argued that ‘Netflix developed the term binge model, meaning putting all episodes of a season online at once’. It will be allowed audiences to have a better viewing experience because the viewer can feel the pleasure of full immersion. Besides, no more being limited by RCDs and VCRs, no more following a linear-viewing schedule, and no more worrying about missing particular episodes. Mareike Jenner (2018, p.110) also argued ‘Netflix has employed it more centrally than other streaming services. As much as binge-watching, as company language suggests, offers unprecedented control to viewers, Netflix also clearly guides, or nudges, choices.’ Netflix has recently demonstrated statistics that examine how people watch TV. Netflix’s survey (Project casting, 2021) indicates that 61% of people say they binge-watching television regularly. Furthermore, 73% of people surveyed admitted they have positive feelings about binge-watching streaming TV content.

<Sex Education> is about insecure Otis has all the answers when it comes to sex advice, thanks to his therapist mom. So rebel Maeve proposes a school sex-therapy clinic in order to deal with the sexual problems of Otis’s classmates. If we search for <Sex Education> and binge-watching on the internet, it will show how long each episode of the TV series is and how long it takes to watch a particular season in total. The statistics shows that <Sex Education> takes 18 hours to watch the first season. Although watching multiple episodes at once makes the <Sex Education> easier to understand and more entertaining than watching a single episode, binge-watching in general can also cause many problems, such as reduced productivity and efficiency of work, and in more serious cases, it can lead to mental health issues, physical health issues, mood disturbance and behaviour changes. At this stage, the problems caused by the binge-watching need to be taken seriously.

Bibliography

Mareike, J. (2018). ‘Introduction: Binge Watching Netflix’, Netflix and the Reinvention of Television. Springer International Publishing AG.

Project Casting (2021). Netflix Survey Shows People Like to Binge-Watch TV Nowadays. Available from https://www.projectcasting.com/blog/news/netflix-survey-shows-people-like-to-binge-watch-tv-nowadays/ [Accessed 27/11/2022]

Yuqian Hu (33648024)

First Published on 27/11/2022