This is a safe place, so let’s just be honest with each other, we absolutely doom scroll. Big generalization, I know, but hear me out. There has been at least one time where you’re on TikTok or Instagram and you just cannot stop scrolling. Has there been a time where you’re on Netflix, Hulu, or Disney+ and you just find yourself mindlessly scrolling… searching for the perfect thing to watch? With social media, you’re just taking in what you see, but when it comes to those streaming services, you’re on a mission. Both end in doom scroll. So how do we decide what to watch?
Social Media Influence:
Real quick, let’s revisit social media. We know that social media was made in mind to be a place to connect with people around the world, to share, discover new ideas, and for entertainment. It is those things, but it’s mainly a place of influence. You see, social media influences almost every aspect of our life: presidential elections, opinions, beliefs, habits, trends, and of course, entertainment.
When it comes to entertainment, there is a clear correlation between influencing the numbers on a particular show or movie. For example, Love Island USA season 7. It was reported that this show reached over 1.7 billion views on TikTok. This in turn made Love Island USA season 7 the most watched original season of all time. As you can see, social media often influences people on what to watch.
The Critics:
You may or may not think that critics are relevant when it comes to deciding what to watch; you may just be a free thinker, beating your drum to your own beat, but critics absolutely influence what you watch. This ties back into social media influence. As I mentioned before, social media influences opinions, and these opinions can shape how you feel towards a show or movie before watching it.
Let’s stray from modern times for a little bit and focus on professional opinions. This includes Rotten Tomatoes, Metacritic, and Journalist. Before a movie is released, these professionals attend advance screenings that the studio holds just for them. These screenings are held weeks or months before the movie is released. This is why you often see what critiques say in the trailer. For example, “A must see movie”—The New York Times. Viewers often trust these critiques, and with trust comes views, creating a snowball effect influencing you to watch said movie or show.
Let’s recap. Finding what to watch can be difficult, maybe even lead to a doom scroll session. If you ever find yourself in this predicament, remember, social media and critiques can often help you decide what to watch.
Sources
NBCUniversal. (2025, July 25). ‘Love Island USA’ season 7 amasses over 18 billion minutes viewed. NBCUniversal. https://www.nbcuniversal.com/article/love-island-usa-season-7-amasses-over-18-billion-minutes-viewed?utm_source=chatgpt.com
Boatwright, P., Basuroy, S., & Kamakura, W. A. (2006, February 1). Reviewing the reviewers: The impact of individual film critics on box office performance. Quantitative Marketing and Economics, 2007(5). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2392647