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I would add Netflix to the list. In my social circle, people keep watching episode after episode and just feel a compulsion to "finish" the series even the qual

I would add Netflix to the list. In my social circle, people keep watching episode after episode and just feel a compulsion to "finish" the series even the quality is sub par and degraded. I have been there and uninstalled netflix years ago. The series always start out well and then degrades to the point where you are just addicted and cannot help watching since you are already vested at that point.

ambivalents 9y ago
I find our cultural acceptance of "binging" somewhat troubling. I often hear about how many hours people have "wasted" watching an entire series in one sitting. There's a sort of ambivalence towards it, like the busy olympics, maybe, where people feel the need to outcompete each other in just how much time they spend on Netflix. I notice the nights I decide not to watch TV, the evenings unfold more slowly and pleasantly. I feel like I've gotten a lot done, figuring it must be near midnight, and I check and it's only 9:30. The nights I partake in the binging, however, glide by in a flash with nothing to show for it. I wonder, how much are we losing to Netflix?
- njarboe 9y ago
  Most people would do this with TV before Netflix. The stats on adult TV watching back before the internet was amazing. 5-6 hours a day on average. Ads have always been intolerable for me and the recent streaming trend with no ads and all the year shows on demand is much more addictive.
  - ambivalents 9y ago
    Yes, but was TV specifically engineered to be as addictive as possible? Was it designed to give you little hits of dopamine just at the moment you were considering turning it off? There are tradeoffs here, of course. We can now customize our viewing experience to our tastes (though even that, I question the direction tastes are formed), fewer ads means more quality viewing time, etc. Huge improvements, but with many attendant costs.
baxtr 9y ago
I agree and see the same in my circle. Luckily, I’m just a “half-addict” on Netflix, I have the ascribed compulsion only if the series is really good. I stop the semi-good ones. What’s getting worse by the day is HN, however. I don’t know why I’m even writing this right now, when I’m supposed to be with my loved ones in the living room...
ed312 9y ago
I think experiencing art/entertainment is a little different. You may not love every part of a painting, but still appreciate the work overall. With a TV series - you may not love every episode by there may be gems of writing in acting after your "cut off" point.
- freeloop3 9y ago
  Yea, but after watching a TV show for 5 hours, you begin to miss all the details and are just satisfying a craving at that point. You are ruining the art by overexposure.
kilroy123 9y ago
I agree. That's why I no longer watch TV shows. Movies only. I can easily commit to a few hours one night.

ambivalents 9y ago

I find our cultural acceptance of "binging" somewhat troubling. I often hear about how many hours people have "wasted" watching an entire series in one sitting. There's a sort of ambivalence towards it, like the busy olympics, maybe, where people feel the need to outcompete each other in just how much time they spend on Netflix. I notice the nights I decide not to watch TV, the evenings unfold more slowly and pleasantly. I feel like I've gotten a lot done, figuring it must be near midnight, and I check and it's only 9:30. The nights I partake in the binging, however, glide by in a flash with nothing to show for it. I wonder, how much are we losing to Netflix?

njarboe 9y ago
Most people would do this with TV before Netflix. The stats on adult TV watching back before the internet was amazing. 5-6 hours a day on average. Ads have always been intolerable for me and the recent streaming trend with no ads and all the year shows on demand is much more addictive.
- ambivalents 9y ago
  Yes, but was TV specifically engineered to be as addictive as possible? Was it designed to give you little hits of dopamine just at the moment you were considering turning it off? There are tradeoffs here, of course. We can now customize our viewing experience to our tastes (though even that, I question the direction tastes are formed), fewer ads means more quality viewing time, etc. Huge improvements, but with many attendant costs.

baxtr 9y ago

I agree and see the same in my circle. Luckily, I’m just a “half-addict” on Netflix, I have the ascribed compulsion only if the series is really good. I stop the semi-good ones. What’s getting worse by the day is HN, however. I don’t know why I’m even writing this right now, when I’m supposed to be with my loved ones in the living room...

ed312 9y ago

I think experiencing art/entertainment is a little different. You may not love every part of a painting, but still appreciate the work overall. With a TV series - you may not love every episode by there may be gems of writing in acting after your "cut off" point.

freeloop3 9y ago
Yea, but after watching a TV show for 5 hours, you begin to miss all the details and are just satisfying a craving at that point. You are ruining the art by overexposure.

kilroy123 9y ago

I agree. That's why I no longer watch TV shows. Movies only. I can easily commit to a few hours one night.