Especially in recent years, TV shows and US dramas have become an addiction. With the rise of services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, how aren’t you drawn into the vortex of favourites such as Sherlock, Grey’s Anatomy and the infamous Game of Thrones. Now, a little time set aside for TV in the evenings may seem and be harmless- however, intensive scientific studies investigating the viewing habits of viewers find that for the more frequent viewers, watching television seems to show similar signs of a dependency one would see in alcoholism or other addictions.
To put this into context: compulsive television viewers turn to their TVs looking for a calmer state of mind ( in times of distress) in oppose to merely watching their most-beloved television shows for pleasure. Like many drug addictions and alcoholism, temporary emotional relief is given in the short term… but people often feel worse afterwards.
Although researchers cannot agree on a definition of television addiction, studies find that people who call themselves “television addicts”watch television twice as much as the average viewer. The A.C.Nielsen Company reports the average viewing time of a adult per week is thirty hours. In comparison to that data, one study found that these self-named “television addicts” watch fifty-six hours of television per week on average.
On the contrary, people will continue to binge-watch shows- the term “binge-watching” refers to watching a series of episodes continuously in a given time. Its because streaming television companies such as Netflix know of these addictions, that they release entire seasons of original shows all at once. They feed off those who plough through each episode and make it to the end of a season in under a week. These people then tell their friends and the viewer statistics have just shot up. Production companies will leave you on a cliffhanger to keep you on their fishing line- this way they can draw you in again the next time an episode is released. Streaming sites have their list/ countdown to show what episode you are on, and how many episodes you have left- finishing on episode gives the feeling of achievement which then inclines and rives you on to watch more. Not to mention the recommended lists of what to watch if you liked a certain show or genre.
Essentially, the entertainment industry have us all on a leash. They control what we watch, when we watch it leave us with the hunger for more. They thrive on our emotional attachments to certain characters and our want foe certain endings. All in all, this takes a toll on our productivity in the real-world. To what extent will you allow yourself to be consumed?
