In some cases, watching too many shows on Netflix or other streaming sites can be a sign of psychological issues.
Brooke Courtemanche is trapped.
She sits, eyes focused on her laptop screen. She has no idea how much time has passed, or even what time it is now.
Only one thing is for certain: the next episode of Parks and Recreation will automatically start playing in just a few seconds.
“I really did try to stop binge-watching, but I got cravings for it,” she said. “I used to be a smoker, and the draw to watch a TV show was almost as powerful as the draw to go outside for a cigarette.”
For many students on campus, binge-watching several episodes, or in some cases even a season, has become a common practice on popular streaming sites like Netflix and Hulu.
“I think it has a lot to do with escapism and being able to become absorbed in a story life other than your own,” Courtemanche, an undecided sophomore, said. “It provides an avenue to avoid problems.”
Though watching Netflix and other streaming services can be acceptable in moderation, binge-watching multiple episodes consecutively could be a sign of other issues, Fred Weiner, director of Ohio University’s Counseling and Psychological Services, said.
“When watching TV, movies (or) playing video games excessively is getting in the way of getting school work done, studying, or interacting with others, it is cause for concern,” Weiner said in an email. “Is it that the viewer has an occasional problem with poor time management, or does their procrastination and avoidance of important obligations and responsibilities point to a fear of failure? Is staying in one's room and doing little more than the above activities a sign of being anxious around and interacting with others?”
He said in some cases excessively watching television shows and movies or playing video games could be a sign of depression.
“It is often difficult for someone to recognize that they may be using those activities to avoid dealing with depression unless friends, roommates or others around them have noticed that they have become very withdrawn and isolated,” Weiner said in an email.
Courtemanche said she sees how binge-watching could be unhealthy for students, or people in general, if they consume it so much that they become anti-social.
“If someone responds in a defensive way when others express concern, it can be a sign that indeed watching TV, movies (or) engaging in video games is no longer a recreational pursuit, but rather an indication that they are no longer engaging in life in a productive, satisfying way,” Weiner said in an email. “Aside from defensiveness, if they are unable to stop themselves from doing these things, they will hopefully take some proactive steps such as seeking counseling.”
A study conducted at the University of Texas at Austin suggests a relationship between binge-watching and issues such as depression, though binge-watching may not necessarily cause those issues.
The authors of the study also said binge-watching can relate to obesity and fatigue.
Though Weiner said binge-watching could have negative effects, Courtemanche said she has seen many students binge-watch shows as a stress reliever.
“It’s just something I go to when I’m in a bad mood,” Courtemanche said. “It keeps me enthralled and hyperfocused. I use it to preoccupy my mind and just to relax. I spend a lot of time living vicariously through characters.”
Sean O’Malley, University IT Communications manager, said the university does not track the number of individual users or hours of users who watch Netflix or other streaming sites.
In 2014, OU students complained to the university about slow Netflix streaming speeds, and even created a petition called "Give us our Netflix back," according to a previous Post report. The university subsequently increased its Netflix bandwidth from 50 megabits per second to 200 megabits.
Jennifer Morton, an undecided freshman, also said she is guilty of binge-watching on occasion.
"I binge-watch because it's just more cozy and warm inside my room, and I want to keep watching to see what happens," she said, adding that cliff-hangers make it more difficult to stop watching.
In addition, Morton said she considers watching three or more episodes in one day to be binge-watching.
"If it gets to the point that you're binge-watching to avoid work, then it definitely becomes a problem, but I don't think it is other than that," Morton said.
Courtemanche said she thinks the way Netflix is structured plays a part in students’ binge-watching “addictions.”
“Netflix has this lovely little feature where the next episode loads in 15 seconds,” she said. “Once it plays, you get hooked in, and then you realize, ‘Woah it’s 4 a.m. When did that happen?’ I think the website actually promotes it itself.”
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Courtemanche said that although people have binge-watched in the past, she thinks it has become much more popular with the addition of websites such as Netflix and Hulu.
“It’s become kind of a pastime I don’t think people used to do,” she said. “It’s done more now and not seen as such a bad thing, though I don’t know why.”
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