Have you ever thought that you always keep on clicking the “next episode button” at least more than once, that means watching a series and clicking on the next episodes in an urge to watch the next episode. We usually click on the next episode button which appears at the end of every episode, creating a keen interest and curiosity among the users to click on the next episode once and watch the content, just to understand what will happen next in the series. But have you wondered why it happens? Is Netflix controlling the viewer to keep on watching the series? The “next episode button” triggers the human brain which creates an interest among the viewers to watch the story in continuation.

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There might be a possibility of fear of missing out on the content, inquisitiveness to watch the show, and bearing some more time to watch the next content. After the next episode is finished, the viewer feels satisfied, like a dopamine release and again they see a “ next episode button” and the process continues. These things have become very demanding and controlling these days, even school kids would not want to sleep on  time, they would rather prefer watching their favorite Netflix series and clicking on the “next episode button” and even sometimes the autoplay feature, which does not even require the viewer to click on the “next episode button.” This whole process acts like a drug. The more you take it, the more you feel good. The more you watch with curiosity about what’s happening in the next episode, the more you feel satisfied.

Why do we binge-watch? | BBC Ideas

Especially if we talk about working people, they sit in front of the TV after a long hectic day, searching for a new Netflix series or watching their favorite Netflix episode. For most of the people, it has become a daily task, a daily hobby.

As for the amount of binge-watching, “a Netflix survey found that 61 percent of users regularly watch between 2-6 episodes of a show in one sitting, which means people are curious to know what is happening in the next episode.”

“In fact, According to Nielsen,361,000 people watched all nine episodes of season 2 of ‘Stranger Things,’ on the first day it was released.”

When we engage in binge-watching, our brain produces dopamine, which makes us feel rewarded for pleasure, which makes us continue watching the episodes and makes our body experience a drug-like high.

Bibliography

Page, D. (2017). What happens to your brain when you binge-watch a TV series. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-happens-your-brain-when-you-binge-watch-tv-series-ncna816991 accessed on 02/11/24

Abrams, A. (2017). 361,000 People Binge-Watched All of ‘Stranger Things’ in a Day. Hundreds of Thousands of People Watched All of Stranger Things In a Day | TIME accessed on 06/11/24

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