Binge Netflixing

OTTAWA--Yum! Popcorn, candy and soda: everything we need to have the perfect movie night. Many have heard the reference of “Netflix and Chill,” which is supposed to be a joke on how to get in someone’s pants. Well, there is an underlying issue that may be misunderstood.  

In 2007, Netflix launched their streaming of shows and movies online for just $8 a month. As great as this was (and still is), it also has brought Netflix’s negative attributes. We find ourselves watching much more TV than before, especially because of the lack of commercials and the promptness of episodes.  

Kayla Wood, a sophomore soccer player at Ottawa University, watches four different shows. One of those forms part of her daily routine.   

“I would say I watch Netflix roughly three hours every day,” Wood said.  

As for James Kelley, a football player at OU who views just two shows, the situation is a little different.  

“I watch these shows when I have free time as long as I can,” Kelley said.  

Hundreds of programs at the tip of the finger are just waiting to be watched. With this easy access to TV and movies, it’s much easier to lie around for hours without even knowing your whole day or night is gone. So when do we decide how long is too long and what is acceptable to watch? 

“I watch ‘That 70s Show’ and ‘Gossip Girl.’ I watch ‘Gossip Girl’ on my free time, which isn’t usually much during the week. ‘That 70s Show’ is what I watch in the evenings to fall asleep too,” said Aubree Wells, a sophomore at OU.  

Wells finds herself watching more TV on the weekends because she has more free time than with school and sports going on during the week. 

“I watch about an hour a day, give or take a little and two-to-three hours on the weekends,” Wells said.   

Kelley, Wood and Wells feel they see more TV now that they have Netflix because of two reasons: They choose what to watch and they do it with zero commercials.  

For just $8 a month, you can access unlimited shows and movies of your choice or you can go to a theater and pay $10 for just one movie -- which does not include the popcorn you need to have or the drink that is a must. In reality, Netflix is a much better deal, except a person is more likely to stay at home and lie around and do nothing for hours and hours.