Things in the entertainment industry haven’t been the same since Netflix started streaming TV shows in 2007. Since then, we’ve substituted movie theaters for our couches, cable for internet-TV, and our beloved Blockbuster locations for Netflix apps…And that’s just the half of it! With the rise of even more TV streaming services, like Hulu and Amazon Prime, users now have a bottomless supply of TV shows immediately at their fingertips. TV has become the Costco of the entertainment industry: we can get everything in bulk, but is that really a good thing?
Sure, TV is no longer the mindless background noise it was during the era of 10-minute commercial breaks and constant reruns. Except now, watching TV has become a total binge-fest with streaming subscribers of all ages sucking away hours and hours of their time to watch 20 episodes of Parks and Recreation in a row and snack on Oreos until realizing they emptied the whole package. (Don’t be ashamed, we’ve all been there.) Not to mention, with the vast amount of TV and movie options to choose from, there’s no such thing anymore as “watching too much TV”. There’s always another show on our “Recommended for You” list that will keep our eyes glued to the screen for another 10 hours. Without fail, “one more episode” always turns into at least five more.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to binge Netflix just as much as the next procrastinating Gen Z. However, I also love the fresh air and sunlight I deprive myself of when I curl up in a blanket all day watching TV. While TV streaming has revolutionized the way we consume entertainment content, maybe not all of its changes are beneficial to us.