Why I Find Binge-Watching Stressful

With the new season of Stranger Things, many an article/youtube video has been made about how the Netflix model of releasing a show is “killing” TV, (TV in this case meaning serialized streaming as well as the traditional televised format) and in a way I agree.

Something that those with ADHD commonly struggle with is being able to sit down with something for a long time. Reading a book, finishing a project, watching a movie, the simple pressure of completing something all at once can lead to a lot of extra emotional drain.

Frequently neurodivergent individuals find themselves crippled from taking action or finishing things simply because of the way they are forced to go about completing a task.

Obviously Netflix is not forcing anyone to watch entire seasons all at once, but the mere fact that active effort must be put in to stop one episode from immediately flowing into the next, means that inaction or passivity on the part of the viewer leads to a marathon.

Thus the act of watching a TV show, an activity meant to help someone unwind, takes on added stress as it now takes some level of vigilance to not turn the endeavor into a chore, thus defeating the point for many a viewer.

People are now en masse addressing the issue I’ve been complaining about for years, marathoning a TV show is exhausting. You can’t just watch it one episode at a time because then you’ll run the risk of spoilers. To keep up with a show you once enjoyed means turning it into a chore. You have to set time aside to do it, like it’s a trip to the DMV.

I eventually stopped watching Netflix almost entirely with the exception of slice of life style content just because I didn’t want my entertainment to be a source of stress in my life. Serialized content means nothing if the culture surrounding it demands it not be watched in a serial manner. Long have I (an intellectual) lamented media content feeling like a chore rather than something to be enjoyed.

If a popular show was not watched the moment it was released, then one missed “the hype”, the fandom, the cultural impact. When a show is released all at once, the leisure activity can no longer be done at a leisurely pace. You don’t have a week to breathe and digest between episodes, rather you need to finish the show tonight or miss out on the full effect. FOMO has ruined the time honored tradition of turning your brain off in front of a screen.

I don’t have any kind of insight into why it’s only now that those dirty neurotypicals are as exhausted as we are from trying to keep up, nor do I have a solution unless Netflix decides to spontaneously change their very lucrative business model.

Part of the issue, however, I feel comes from the pressure of us now living in the supposed “Golden Age of Television”. Game of Thrones and its ilk have demanded our attention for so long as a result of their self-reported importance to modern culture that at long last we’re suffering from the effects of event fatigue.

My working practice is simply not to watch much serialized media or else content myself with being spoiled, and while I maintain that a show that is not worth watching if you know what’s going to happen is likely not a very good show, I understand why this model won’t appeal to everyone.

Maybe just keep this simple fact in mind, it’s all supposed to be fun. If it’s not, there’s no harm in dropping it.