Fall 2021 21 time before transitioning to purchasable DVDs. Today, consumers can watch an entire season of a TV series in a single day or view almost any movie with a few taps on their iPad. This radical accessibility promotes frenetic viewership—seemingly the same kind of “binging” that once characterized harmful compulsions like alcoholism. Obviously, alcohol overconsumption carries more drastic consequences than excessive streaming, but health officials still express serious concern about the practice of binge watching. Media companies have added innocent features, such as automatic episode queues and tailored viewing suggestions, to encourage continued watching, which increases profits but hides from viewers the sacrifices they make by remaining idle. Scientists have warned that binge watching can result in physical maladies like sleep deprivation and eye strain as well as the habitual danger of overeating. Snacking has always paired wonderfully with movie and TV watching, but those who make a habit of grazing during their favorite show may struggle to keep it under control if their viewing time extends to several hours each day. Binging also contains dangers beyond one’s physical body. Apart from correlations with decreased social activity and increased incidences of depression, unhealthy streaming inhibits viewer retention and critical analysis of media. Professor O’Connor believes that binging promotes content going “in one ear and out the other” and notes that the vast library of on-demand media complicates viewers’ efforts to find, watch and remember worthwhile content. Though streaming services originally propagated a valuable diversity in film, such an overload of movies at users’ fingertips can render thoughtful contemplation a lost art. A recent survey of the Cedarville student body shows that these side-effects are not restricted to the public in general. Over a quarter of participating students reported using streaming services three-to-five times per week, and over 30% estimated that they spend an average of one-to-two hours streaming every day. When asked about the impact of their viewing habits, 36% admitted that their time spent streaming “somewhat” affects their academic and social lives while over 60% denied any impact whatsoever. Evidently, what began as a side project of a DVD rental company has grown so much in the past two decades that it permeates even our cornfield-bound campus. As a Christ-centered community, we ought to take care how we address the binging epidemic. As the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:12, “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful. ‘All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything.” Let’s embrace the benefits of streaming services without letting them dominate us at the expense of our physical, mental and spiritual lives. Josh McClain is a freshman Professional Writing and Information Design student and an A&E writer for Cedars. He enjoys writing stories, reading YA novels and playing spikeball and soccer with friends. Live TV/Sports All of the above Movies TV Shows Most watched content Hulu Amazon Prime Video Disney+ Netflix Other Most used streaming service Frequency of streaming Never Once a month 3-5 times a week Once a week Everyday Somewhat No effect Effects of streaming on life 3+ hours 2-3 hours 1-2 hours <1 hour Hours per day 0 1 2 3+ Number of streaming services owned
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTM4ODY=