I glance quickly at the clock that reads 6 a.m. I use the bathroom, stretch my legs and am mortified looking at the hollowed-out eyes I’ve managed to develop in three hours. Actually, seven hours. The sad part is, I can’t tell you exactly how many episodes of “Orange Is the New Black” I’ve just watched, let alone the content of the episodes.
Such is the transforming nature of television. A once-sacred and communal ritual is evolving into a frantic chore. Catching up on television is an obligation, not a relaxation process. What separates it from the other anxieties in our life? Nextflix has engendered this binge-watching culture by releasing entire seasons of shows all at once. Sure this may alleviate the suspense associated with intense programming, but isn’t that the fun?
Don’t we all look forward to the pasta Sundays associated with “Downton Abbey” or the game night Thursdays that coincide with “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia”? With bingeing, we eradicate the leisure that is affiliated with television. An episode a week is a cathartic hour that lasts for thirteen weeks. We anticipate the glorious hour so that it can get us through our week. The water-cooler conversations are ripe with enthusiasm for last night’s nail-biter.
Perhaps we’re not bingeing properly. If your laptop is laced with guilt or anxiety because you’re trying to watch six seasons in three days or because you’re avoiding writing an essay for your Writing 111 class, there will be no artistic merit to watching the program. Maybe if we prescribed to a healthier etiquette of binge-watching, we could absorb more compelling television and expand our aesthetic palettes. We don’t rebuke teenagers for vigorously devouring books. Who’s to say that compelling shows like “Game of Thrones” or “30 Rock” cannot broaden our cultural horizons and inspire us to emulate their writing.
The Internet has paradoxically improved and crippled our writing and reading abilities. The plethora of media that is available to us has led us to read and respond to what we read more than in previous decades. However, we are living in an era of instant gratification.
It has become more difficult to peruse a long essay when there are shorter, more entertaining alternatives. We have demolished the traditional rules of grammar and incorporated emojis and abbreviations into our vocabulary. The Internet has improved the literacy of the proletariat and the general population is likely more informed of current issues than in previous generations were.
The future of television isn’t as bleak as we think. Sites like Netflix have given more people access to compelling shows like “Arrested Development” and “House of Cards.” If we can rehabilitate our splurging tendencies and limit our television consumption to a healthier dosage, we can get more out of our programs. We all know how great “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt” is, but if you can’t divorce your eyes from the screen for five minutes to use the bathroom, remember: Depends are always on sale at Costco.