When I discovered Netflix, it was like my world had infinitely expanded. As a child who grew up in a household without cable, suddenly having multiple TV shows and movies at my fingertips was like getting Christmas early. And I’m not the only one who thinks so: since its 1997 founding, Netflix now streams more than 2 billion hours of movies and TV shows to its 53 million members in over 50 countries. With so much to choose from, and any hour of the day to view, it’s easy to slip into an addiction. But how can you tell you’ve descended the slippery slope to Netflix’s black hole? Here’s how:
1. You’ve discovered it’s entirely possible to knock out one season in a week.
You started watching Olivia Pope take down bad guys and ended up sucked into Scandal’s tornado of conspiracy; as a result, when the third season finally appeared on Netflix, you devoured it in less than seven days. You justify this by reminding yourself that there were only 18 episodes, and that’s only three episodes a day for six days. Three episodes a day does not an addict make, right?
2. You feel personally offended when Netflix asks if it should “continue playing.”
Thanks for your concern, Netflix, but fear not: there’s no way anyone could fall asleep while watching Chuck Bass brood over Blair.
3. You have altogether too many shows to juggle.
Between Gossip Girl, Gilmore Girls, New Girl, and Reign, your roommates are starting to wonder how you maintain your balance. The truth is, you’re starting to get Gossip Girl and Gilmore Girls mixed up, and it’s a real problem–Serena and Blair’s hot-and-cold friendship doesn’t hold a candle to Lorelai and Rory’s heart-warming mother-daughter relationship.
4. A wifi collapse is much, much more than a simple Internet outage.
When you’ve powered through hours of homework and studying with the incentive of relaxing in front of one or two (or five) episodes of Once Upon a Time, nothing is more devastating than the discovery that SecureMustangWireless is currently nonfunctioning. Only slightly better than this is slow internet. In theory, slow internet is better than no internet, but isn’t it more difficult to follow the plot when the characters freeze every five seconds?
5. Your Netflixing habits have become the joke of the apartment.
If your laptop is open and your headphones are plugged in, your roommates assume you’re watching Netflix. If your laptop is open and your Psych textbook is in your lap, they assume you’re watching Netflix. If your laptop is open and you tell them you don’t want to go out on a Friday night, they assume you’re watching Netflix. And, more often than not, they’re correct.