I LOVE binge-watching television series on Netflix as much as the next girl, but when you break it down, there are some down sides to watching an entire season of a show in one day. Here are the upsides and the downsides to binge watching television shows:
PROS:
1. You can watch shows you missed when they were on TV!
There are always shows that you wish you watched when they originally aired on TV. Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hulu make it possible to stream those shows after the fact. Miss Parks and Rec when it was on? No worries! Netflix has you covered. These services have also started to make so many of their own TV shows and movies that are taking the world by storm like Orange is the New Black, The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and Stranger Things.
2. You can get hooked after just a few episodes
When you binge watch TV you get invested in the stories VERY quickly because you are watching so many episodes in a row. The characters and their relationships become part of your life and you feel like you are experiencing things with them. Getting hooked on a new television show is thrilling and you don’t even have to wait a week to see the next episode! You will be so into your new show that you will always say, “HELL YES I AM” when Netflix asks you the infamous “Are you still watching?” question.
3. You can decide quickly if a series is worth your time to watch
When you watch a show in real time it takes weeks to see if it is something that you are going to love. If you find out that it’s not really your thing, it’s more annoying because you’ve spent so much time figuring it out. Being able to make this decision quickly saves you time in the long run and helps you find quality shows to watch.
CONS:
1. You lose the sense of community with your fellow TV lovers
TV lovers unite! People often get brought together by watching their favorite shows. Social media lets you share your experience and connect with people across the world. Live tweeting has changed the game of television. There is a sense of community present when everyone is tweeting about fashion at the Grammys or who is going to be the next Bachelorette. Social media also allows fans to follow their favorite stars and feeling personally connected to them. The catch is, is that this only happens when you are watching shows live. If you hop on twitter and see a bunch of tweets about that night’s episode and you didn’t see it, it will be a huge #spoileralert.
2. It leaves you nothing to look forward to the next week
Having shows on certain days of the week to look forward to can help you get through those tough college days. If you are stressed you can come home and watch your favorite show and all of your worries will go away. If you binge-watch them all at one time it might be satisfying short-term, but it will be sooooo satisfying long term to stick with one of your favorite shows for years watching it once a week. The cliffhangers will be so much more impactful if you have to wait to find out what happens. I know it can be tough, but it is worth it.
3. It takes up SO MUCH of your time
Binge-watching can take up a lot of your time that should be used for more useful things like studying, sleeping and going out and doing things with REAL people. Make sure to take breaks to get out and enjoy the world. Go on a walk, go get ice cream with some friends, and then head back to your cave for another marathon of The Office.
Finishing a TV series is a very emotional thing whether you binge watched it or watched it in real time. You might be sobbing, laughing or feeling 100% complete with all of the characters FINALLY getting the ending they deserve. No matter what, you are definitely feeling all of the feels. You have grown to love these characters and have been there with them through all of their ups and downs. There are so many good TV shows out there, and probably some amazing ones yet to come. Watch shows in real time AND binge watch and you’ll get the best of both worlds! Happy TV watching!