Nowadays, you can watch anything everywhere, whether you are watching Netflix on the train or at home on your TV, we have ‘the ability to control viewing’ (Lotz, 2014, 54). The idea of binge-watching can be seen on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus. For example, the way Netflix promotes binge-watching is when you finish a series or movie of any genre, they suggest another series or film to watch that is similar to the one you have just completed. The figure below shows what Netflix has recommended after watching Stranger Things (2016). 

Streaming sites like Netflix encourage you to watch more shows and movies to keep your subscription with them. This brings me back to what Lotz stated about how we control what we view (Lotz, 2014, 54). Yes, we can control what we watch with a personalised home page shown on Netflix with a section dedicated to ‘today’s top picks for you’ and picking the show that you want to watch. 

On the other hand, we can’t control what we watch, as suspenseful shows are made to make you want to keep watching them. For example, in the first episode of Stranger Things (2016), in the last scene, the group of friends find a girl in the middle of the woods, and the scene ends on a cliffhanger. Since the show releases episodes by series, it is easy to watch all the episodes all at once as it rolls onto the next episode automatically, hence, showing that we can’t control what we watch and that Netflix encourages binge viewing and shows how easy it is to binge view.

bibliography

Lotz, A.D. (2014). The Television Will Be Revolutionized, Second Edition. NYU Press.

Stranger (2024). Stranger Things Music Score isolated – Ep 1 End Scene (mostly removed dialogue/some sfx). [online] YouTube. Available at: https://youtu.be/Oj1R0n1ZT7A?si=qRLcwllZSmJgurUb [Accessed 18 Nov. 2024].

Stranger Things. (2016). Netflix.

-Dhruvi Dhokia