Binge Watch Era: Death of Modern Era

AGRITA CHHIBBER

The term binge-watching is a common phrase in postmodern times.

In this age of technology and media people are more acclimatized to media and visuals where images are dominant and control the psychological activity of people.

Before moving ahead it is better to learn about the phrase binge watch according to the dictionary meaning it means the practice of watching multiple episodes of a television program in rapid succession, typically by means of digital streaming. It means the consumption of content in a more rapid and highly visualized way.

Traveling back to the age of our ancestors, time was simpler and more different than what now presently it is. During the older times, there was hardly anything like binge watch as television had few countable channels on which a few prime shows were telecasted at specific times and leaving the rest of the day for some useful activities that involved more learning and interaction.

Fast forwarding to the present age it’s normal for coworkers to share what they watched over the weekend when they meet up on a Monday, but this time, it might have been one of the 36,049,046 shows available on different streaming services, each ranging from three to sixteen episodes.

What led to this drastic shift in consumption, where are we now, and where are we going?

Right now, the OTT platform Netflix is the synonym for Binge watch. The birth of Netflix led to this new age of shows and movies that are a new therapy for viewers ready to consume all the data telecasted on the screen. Netflix in its infancy was considering releasing its debut programme.

A drama about a vicious and clever aspirant to the presidency.

An online movie rental service was taking a risk by doing this, so they needed to be prepared. To learn more, they contacted Harris Interactive and cultural anthropologist Grant McCracken.

Following their investigation, interviews, and data analysis, Harris Interactive and Grant McCracken excitedly returned a few days later and informed infant Netflix of the following:

“A niche of people who want to enjoy longer narratives alone or with their partner/friends has been left yearning for longer narratives due to the focus on short narrative forms on social media and daily interactions.”

The technique OTT platforms employ

The calibre of the content is higher than ever.

For the limited free time of internet viewers, there is a large selection of shows in competition. This makes it necessary to watch multiple programmes at once in order to stay up with the new content that is released on the market.

Using a binge-release schedule

Netflix is aware that the pilot (first episode) is not the point at when you, the viewer, start to sense the creeping want to keep watching the show.

Because of this, Netflix releases entire seasons on a single day, providing you the rare chance to watch up to 13 hours of material at once. Netflix refers to the group of viewers who use this binge-release method as “binge-racers that are ready.”

Algorithmic mastery

Now that Netflix is renowned for having the best team of engineers on the back end, their recommendation system is unmatched. They are able to map the viewing patterns of their 100 million global users and comprehend their unique preferences, including the genres, subgenres, and even the preferred colours of each user.

Based on genre, this data enables them to provide the consumers with just what they desire — the appropriate title at the appropriate moment, with the preferred artwork… The Netflix algorithm takes into account a wide range of factors, such as the intervals between episodes of a show, preferred viewing hours, preferred devices, rates of pausing or abandoning particular sorts of material, reviews, search history, and even in-movie details like colours and volume.

The thoughts of User

We don’t necessarily consider ourselves to be magicians, but there is a lot of covert UX work that affects how we behave on a daily basis. It also applies to watching TV.

Scheduling a show

A compelling experience can be had on the Netflix landing page. One may easily draw the conclusion that the artworks on the programme thumbnails are of premium real estate value to Netflix given that it only contains trailers and show thumbnails. Additionally, as we have said, the thumbnails are not only intriguing but also tailored to your viewership.

Presenting a show

Now, after deciding a show is worthwhile to watch and click on it, you arrive at the show landing page, which has little information in order to avoid detracting from the objective, which is to watch the show.

Within a few seconds of arriving at the page, the trailer starts playing thanks to a sizable play button. The “Don’t sell past the close” philosophy states that once a user has selected a show, the user interface should move back as far as it can.

The binge watch comes with several risks that can have a long-lasting impact on viewers.

Risks are as follows:

Getting enough sleep:

The complexity of programme plots makes viewers need a longer “cooling down” period before going to bed, which interferes with their sleep.

Getting enough sleep:

The cognitive pre-sleep arousal that is raised by binge watching before bed can have a negative effect on sleep quality, exhaustion, and insomnia. Most binge watchers are reported to have difficulty falling or staying asleep. The complexity of programme plots makes viewers need a longer “cooling down” period before going to bed, which interferes with their sleep.

Behavioural health

It’s also bad for your mind to binge watch. Self-described binge-watchers are more likely to report higher levels of stress, worry, and sadness in their daily lives, according to recent studies.

Our bodies continuously release cortisol (the stress hormone) while watching a show, particularly a drama. Our heart health and muscles are impacted by this. These programmes cause viewers to empathise more, which raises their feelings of anguish and affects how they handle their emotions in daily life.

Agrita Chhibber is from Jammu

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