“Just one more episode,” says a young Millennial before they fall asleep.
“To be continued?! I have to know how it ends,” cries another.
“Want to watch a show?” a wife asked her husband three hours and six episodes ago.
The act of binge watching has officially become the new normal. A recent TiVo survey showed an overwhelming nine out of 10 people call themselves binge watchers, with Millennials spending the most amount of time in front of their screens. But, why has binge watching become so popular amongst this generation? Let’s take a look.
1. They’ve fallen behind. Not everyone can (or can remember to) watch a show during its scheduled timeslot. In fact, 61 percent of binge watchers report they watch three or more episodes of the same show in one day because they missed the episodes when they originally aired. Meanwhile, 45 percent admit they binge because they learned about the show much later, and they needed to catch up.
*tries to watch 46 episodes of Game of Thrones in 3 hours*
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) April 12, 2015
2. They want to watch it all at once. 32 percent of people deliberately put off watching an entire season of a show until they can watch it all at once, and 39 percent say some shows are just better when watched back-to-back-to-back.
On your mark, get set, Netflix.
— Josh Peck (@PortableShua) September 21, 2015
3. They need a break from reality. Millennials are busy. Maybe that’s why when they’re ready to unwind, the idea of cozying up on the couch in front of their TV, laptop, tablet or smartphone is so appealing. A whopping 76 percent of TV streamers say watching several episodes of a show as a time is a welcome refuge.
I have roughly 10,000 things to do for school, but instead I’m binge watching and crying over every episode of parenthood.
— Alexis Wilkins (@AlexisWilkins4) September 11, 2015
4. They need something to do before bed. How did we used to fall asleep without the sounds of a TV show lulling us into dream land? Binge watching has become the thing to do before bed, and 31 percent of people even admit they’ve lost sleep because of it.
Does anyone else use episodes as a measure of time when binge watching tv shows? “There are two episodes till bedtime.”
— Ambur Mazzolla (@amburjrzgrl) September 11, 2015
5. They need something to do on a Saturday. No weekend plans? Thirty-seven percent of people say they’ve spent an entire weekend binge watching a TV show.
Weekend PSA: When trapped binge watching, the only way out is through. Hunker down, slay that beast, and get on with your life.
— Tinkerbell Road (@tinkerbellroad) September 11, 2015
6. They want to spend time with someone. Who do you watch Netflix with? Your dad? Your daughter? Your husband? According to TiVo, 31 percent of people say binge watching is an important way to spend time with their spouse.
My favorite part of binge watching One Tree Hill is explaining each characters back story to my husband #nathanandpeytondatedremember
— Kelsey Van Wyk (@Kelsey_Lev) September 11, 2015
7. They don’t want to do anything else. The ‘ol, “I have 500 things on my to-do list, but I don’t want to do any of them” approach.
I want to build an empire but also sit on my couch eating tacos and binge watching a series on Netflix
— sara (@sphipps_xo) September 11, 2015
8. They get a recommendation. Think about it. When you finish watching a show you loved, you tell all of your friends and family members about it. You share a Facebook status update about it. You tweet about it. And research has found that tweets about TV shows can be highly influential—with 42 percent of the tweet’s viewers making plans to either search the show on Netflix or watch it later.
If you’ve never watched the office I highly recommend binge watching all seasons because you’ll laugh & cry and its the greatest show ever k
— mads (@madssalot) September 11, 2015
9. They get addicted, and then invested. Sometimes, episodes of a TV show are like a Lay’s potato chip. You can’t enjoy just one. It has to be two. Or three. Our six. Or an entire season.
I’ve been binge watching Friday Night Lights so I almost feel as if I attend Dillion High School and date one of the players
— Emily Robinson (@Emrob3) September 11, 2015
10. They get nostalgic. Maybe they watched the show when it aired in real time 10 years ago, and they want to experience it all over again. They pick up things they never noticed before. They start to remember what was happening in their own life the first time they saw it. They start to realize how far actors have come since then.
I’ve been binge-watching Gilmore Girls on @netflix, and throwback, Adam Brody just made an appearance. #crushfromthe2000s
— Kylie McKlveen (@kylie_mcklveen) September 10, 2015
11. They’re supporting an actor, writer, director, producer, etc. who they like. It stands to reason that if someone liked Jennifer Anniston in this, they’ll probably like her in that. If they loved Mark Schwan’s writing style in this, they’ll probably love it in that. If they enjoyed the songs Joe Davola picked in this, they’ll probably enjoy them in that.
There’s nothing better than binge watching Netflix and hearing your favorite artist play in the background of an episode
— Tamika (@Tamikaaa_xo) September 10, 2015
Are you guilty of binge watching? Tell us why you love to marathon your favorite TV show in the comments below.
Read more: Streamed not broadcast: Millennials’ TV habits stun.
