To reply to this question, we need to focus our attention on Jenner’s ideas of binge-watching, analysing users’ engagement and digital media’s integration into our everyday lives. Nowadays, because of social media, Gen-Z is looking for easy socialisation, something that doesn’t require significant effort. This aligns with the reasons why dating in 2024 is becoming harder than ever. People are replacing emotional connection and commitment with the so-called “let’s go with the flow”. Consequently, Netflix is profiting out of this concept, incorporating “Netflix&Chill” into its official branding discourse and using it as promotional content after it became popular (Pilipets, 2019).

Jenner (2018) highlights how Netflix is a highly algorithm-driven platform, which aligns with the users’ preferences,  eliminates interruptions like commercials or ads and seamlessly goes from one episode to the next. This perfectly corresponds with Gen-Z’s desire for instant gratification and immersive experiences. Binge-watching shifts viewings from passive consumption to a more engaging experience that stimulates intimacy between users and the platform itself. In the past, viewers were forced to wait for the next scheduled episode but now with Netflix, they can watch all of them in one sitting, leading to a feeling of spontaneity and improvisation that creates a more casual and relaxed atmosphere.

According to Pilipets (2019), the connotation of “Netflix&Chill” shifted drastically in 2015 when it gained attention on Black Twitter. What used to be a lighthearted statement for relaxation turned into a coded way to initiate sexual intercourse. Memes on Tumblr expanded its reach from the heterosexual and hookup culture to queer communities, claiming it as a new expression, which is now fully integrated in our slang (Pilipets, 2019).

Ultimately, Netflix is actively engaging with our lives by changing our perception of love, normalising casual encounters and disrupting the social taboos that existed in the past.

While this can be beneficial in some aspects, it could also ruin emotional bonds and genuine connections by allowing more superficial relationships.

Written by: Autilia Federica Spiezia (33747963)

References:

Jenner, M. (2018) ‘Introduction: Binge-watching Netflix’, Netflix and the Re-invention of Television, pp. 109–118. doi:10.1007/978-3-319-94316-9_6. 

Pilipets, E. (2019) ‘From Netflix streaming to Netflix and Chill: The (dis)connected body of serial binge-viewer’, Social Media + Society, 5(4). doi:10.1177/2056305119883426.