Many of us know the feeling of clicking on the next episode
button on Netflix when there is numerous other things we need to be doing.
Just one more episode
then I will write that paper. This
is the thought that has gone through almost every college student’s mind since
Netflix has become one of the top ways of procrastinating. If you are like me,
watching hours of Netflix at a time can start to become the norm. Do we use Netflix just to procrastinate or do
we get so involved in our television shows that we just have to watch the next
episode? I think the answer is both, but
there is more to it than that.
If you were born between 1982 and 2000 you fall into the
Generation Y generation, better known as Millennials. Millennials have been described has having an
undeserved sense of entitlement. We as a
generation, have an overall desire for immediate satisfaction in everything we
do. As with every generation, technology
has advanced tremendously for Millennials.
Other generations look at us as the generations of “screens.” We are constantly attached to a screen, be
it: our phones, laptops, or tablets. Our
devices are always at least an arm’s length away. Our lack of patience can be attributed to our
smart phones. If we do not know
something, we pull out our phones and look it up. That has become the norm for everyone, not
just the millennials.
That instant satisfaction has become a part of our everyday
life. Binge-watching television shows
can provide that instant satisfaction that we crave so much. When watching
Netflix, we do not have to wait until next week to find out what happens, we
just hit the next button. Netflix has begun successfully creating original
content shows, House of cards and Orange is the New Black, which shows the
popularity of the binge-watching mentality.
As we move into the workforce, how are we expected to not
expect immediate results from our hard work?
Instant satisfaction has become a part of our culture.
Amen to binge-watching... with my phone in hand to look up the tidbits of information that stoke my curiosity. I have to beat Aaron at Netflix trivia, you know. ;) You should check out Vudu if you haven't already.
ReplyDeleteDo you think it's wrong to want to be instantly satisfied? For me, I think it's a fragile balance between expecting some things "now" and still having a capacity to understand what takes longer and why. I think some problems need to be sat on and ruminated before they're "fixed" or we embed them in our culture.
ReplyDeleteI binge watch tv shows and movies as much as I can sit and read a book/take notes. It's the only way I feel terribly justified doing either. I wonder how many people strike up a kind of balance or if it's all media all the time.
Then, what are we doing with the stories we're taking in?
I see nothing wrong with it instant satisfaction. The purpose of this post is to argue against how other generations characterize us as having an undeserved sense on entitlement. I used Netflix as an example of how times have changed and it is one factor that has created this urge for instant satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteI think it doesn't help to explain the purpose of the post if you do not think I understood it with what you wrote. Like, I agreed with your argument and was just questioning to ask for your deeper view.
ReplyDeleteWhat other factors would you consider contribute towards a need for instant satisfaction?
Where have you heard these characterizations made? Was there anything more particular or loaded in their arguments?
Do you agree with the premise I put out that there's a fragile balance between how we use our attention?
And then, I still want to know, what do you see us doing with the stories we are taking in?