Essay on Why We re Wired to Binge Watch TV

Submitted By Mickimouz1
Words: 365
Pages: 2

Why We're Wired to Binge­Watch TV
By Maia Regman
In this generation of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, there are millions of people worldwide who spend hours watching entire seasons (or even series!) at one time. Whether it is in anticipation of an upcoming season or a newfound obsession, this practice is very common.
On demand packages are now must­haves for cable customers, and many search for torrents, full videos on Youtube or DVDs of seasons of their favorite shows. This has sparked many questions as to why millennials have this newfound fixation.
British psychologist Edward B. Titchener argued that binge­watching is a result of empathy. Feeling upset or understanding about a show's are the two main feelings resulting from exposure to film.
The way we feel connected to a show's characters is referred to as a parasocial relationships. This could be an extension of empathy being a reason for binge­watching.
Parasocial relationships create what seems like a real life, face­to­face, reciprocal relationship with someone in the media. Some examples could be characters on shows like Pretty Little Liars, on movies like Fat Amy from Pitch Perfect, musical artists like Drake or Beyoncé. Parasocial relationships are why someone has a favorite character or may be attracted to a character on a show. When one has this type of unlimited access to someone, it is easy to binge­watch.
8 out of 10 people have reported that they would rather watch shows in consecutive