Binge-Watching During the Pandemic: An Empirical Study in India

Purpose – This study attempts to reveal the motivation of individuals for binge-watching. The motivational factors considered are enjoyment, efficiency, recommendations of others, perceived control, and fandom. The underlying framework used to explore the association of various motivational factors with binge-watching behavior is the Uses and Gratifications theory. The study also aims to contribute additional insight to the current literature on bingewatching by showing the moderating effects that the traits of sensation-seeking and need for cognition have on binge-watching behavior. Design/Methodology/Approach – Data was collected through a survey of 298 respondents who used online digital video platforms during phase I of the lockdown in India in April 2020. Analysis and testing were performed using Warp PLS 20 in order to understand binge-watching behavior during the pandemic. Findings and Implications – The study found enjoyment and efficiency to be the most influential predictors of binge-watching motivation, with fandom as the second most influential. Moreover, a major contribution of this study stems from the finding that sensationseeking and binge-watching behavior do not moderate the relationship between binge-watching motivation and binge-watching behavior. Limitations – The sample consisted of individuals from only one country. Originality – This study focuses on the motivators of binge-watching behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic from the aspect of the Uses and Gratifications theory

The additional cost of streaming sites: binge watching and associated mental health outcomes

Binge watching has rapidly become a norm for the general public, with more than 80% of subscribers reporting binge watching at least once (Netflix, 2014; TiVo, 2015). The present study tested whether binge watching frequency and duration are associated with poor mental health. A primary interest was an examination of the relationship between the number of binges per week and depression and anxiety. Participants were recruited online via Mechanical Turk (N = 338) and given a number of different measures of psychosocial functioning, including the Center for Epidemiological Studies of Depression (CES-D-10) and the Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) questionnaire. Binge watching was measured as frequency per week and length of binge activity. Analyses comparing individuals who binged once or twice a week to those who binged 3 or more times per week revealed a nonlinear relationship between binge frequency and mental health. Qualitative data about how viewers define binge watching was also examined and revealed that the majority of participants did not define binge watching with a negative connotation. The results of this study suggest that for most people, binge watching is likely just another way of consuming media; however, for some, binge watching may be a marker of poor emotional health. High levels of binge watching for those with high depression and anxiety could reflect an adaptive coping response, or act as a form of avoidance coping.https://ecommons.udayton.edu/stander_posters/1958/thumbnail.jp

Binge-Watching as a Predictor of Narrative Transportation Using HLM

This study explores the changing state of television by measuring binge-watching and its association with narrative transportation, using longitudinal data. The analysis based on a Hierarchical Linear Modeling found that the amount of binge-watching had a positive logarithmic association with transportation—the effect power lessens as binge-watching rate increases. Further, one’s typical binge frequency weakened the relationship between viewing session length and transportation. Overall, more frequent binge-watching reduces its effect power on transportation. Implications for theory and industry are also discussed

Continue playing: examining language change in discourse about binge-watching on Twitter

2021 Spring.Includes bibliographical references.Utilizing data from Twitter, this study characterized the change in the use of the term binge and its variants from 2009-2019. While there is a significant amount of literature looking at either language change or digital media, this research considered the two as inextricable forces on each other. To examine this and the proposed research questions, a textual analysis was conducted of tweets containing the word binge. Overall, the findings suggest that the December 2013 press release published by Netflix deeming binge-watching as the "new normal" in media consumption, may have pushed binge-watching into the mainstream lexicon. Language use about binge-watching was typically positively connotated in contrast to the negative connotations associated with binge-eating and binge-drinking. The connotative change appears to align with a widening of the definition of "watch" to account for the normality of binge-watching. As the use of binge-watching spread throughout the United States, the pattern of the geographic diffusion of binge-watching did not follow traditional theories of the diffusion of language change. The difference in spread may derive from the corporate origins of the term. Lastly, Twitter enabled and reinforced the spread of binge-watching through the facilitation of the social aspect of binge-watching. The findings of this study provide rich ground for future study

Holding Off on the Fun Stuff: Academic Media Multitasking and Binge Watching Among College Students

College students are often faced with the temptation of engaging in academic media multitasking and binge watching or completing their academic coursework in a timely and effective manner. A quantitative survey (N = 651) explored trait individual differences in self-control and academic delay of gratification and situational individual differences in enjoyment, reward, procrastination, regret, and guilt as predictors of academic media multitasking frequency, binge watching frequency, and binge watching duration. Stepwise regressions reveal that self-control is not a predictor of these media behaviors, while age and greater enjoyment were the only predictors of academic media multitasking and gender and greater enjoyment were the only predictors of binge watching duration. On the other hand, the other five variables provided insight on what predicted binge watching frequency: academic delay of gratification, reward, procrastination, regret, and guilt. Greater self-control also led to greater academic delay of gratification. Lastly, there were small positive correlations between all of the media behaviors except for academic media multitasking and binge watching frequency. Practical and theoretical implications are discussed

Overcoming the unitary exploration of binge-watching: A cluster analytical approach

Background and aims: Binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of a TV series in one session) has recently become standard practice among TV series viewers; this expansion generates concerns regarding the potential negative outcomes associated with this habit. However, the investigation of its psychological correlates remains fragmentary, with few initial studies a priori conceptualizing this behavior as a new addictive disorder. This study explored these psychological correlates using cluster analysis of binge-watching behavior based on three key psychological factors: motivations, impulsivity, and emotional reactivity. Methods: An online survey was completed by 4,039 TV series viewers. Data were analyzed using hierarchical and non-hierarchical cluster analyses, the validity of the clusters being finally determined through mutual comparisons with a selection of external correlates. Results: Four clusters were identified: recreational TV series viewers (presenting low involvement in binge-watching), regulated binge-watchers (moderately involved), avid binge-watchers (presenting elevated but non-problematic involvement), and unregulated binge-watchers (presenting potentially problematic involvement associated with negative outcomes). Discussion and conclusions: This study underlines the heterogeneous and multidetermined nature of binge-watching. Our findings suggest that high engagement in binge-watching is distinct from problematic binge-watching, thus reinforcing the notion that conceptualizing binge-watching as an addictive disorder is of low relevance and might actually lead to the overpathologization of this highly popular leisure activit

BINGE WATCHING TELEVISION SHOWS: CONCEPTUALIZATION AND MEASUREMENT

In the wake of online television services, such as Netflix, Hulu, and Youku, binge watching, defined as an act of consuming several television shows in quick succession, has become a popular behavior. Yet it has received very little attention from academics. The present study seeks to model binge watching and to scrutinize its business potential. We present binge watching as a two-dimensional system usage concept, including behavioral and cognitive elements. Based on these elements, we introduce four baseline scenarios as to explore the influence of binge watching on satisfaction. We test our explora-tive approach with a sample of 228 respondents using Partial Least Squares modeling. Results from confirmatory factor analysis support heterogeneous and pattern-specific use of online television streaming services. Interestingly, only behavioral element influences satisfaction, albeit moderately. Our study contributes to online consumer behavior research as well as the information systems litera-ture by investigating binge watching as a distinct form of technology use

Marathon TV watching among emiratis in the interactive media environment

© 2019, American University in Cairo. All rights reserved. The study investigates the habits of binge TV watching—also called marathon TV watching—among a sample of Emiratis. It refers to watching consecutive episodes of a series in one setting for several hours. The research examines the expected outcomes for binge-watching and the possibilities of anticipating regret after such activity, among a sample of 229 Emiratis living in Abu Dhabi. In-depth interviews were conducted with 20 Emiratis to further understand this recently-developed behavior. The results showed a positive significant correlation between expected outcomes, self-regulation deficiency, anticipating regret, and binge-watching. The findings also revealed that most respondents tend to binge-watch alone rather than with others. While gender, marital status, and education do not affect the level of binge-watching, age was an important variable in predicting binge-watching levels. It was found that the lower the age, the higher the deficiency in self-regulation of binge-watching

Identifying the psychological processes delineating non-harmful from problematic binge-watching: A machine learning analytical approach

As on-demand streaming technology rapidly expanded, binge-watching (i.e., watching multiple episodes of TV series back-to-back) has become a widespread activity, and substantial research has been conducted to explore its potential harmfulness. There is, however, a need for differentiating non-harmful and problematic binge-watching. This is the first study using a machine learning analytical strategy to further investigate the distinct psychological predictors of these two binge-watching patterns. A total of 4275 TV series viewers completed an online survey assessing sociodemographic variables, binge-watching engagement, and relevant predictor variables (i.e., viewing motivations, impulsivity facets, and affect). In one set of analyses, we modeled intensity of non-harmful involvement in binge-watching as the dependent variable, while in a following set of analyses, we modeled intensity of problematic involvement in binge-watching as the dependent variable. Emotional enhancement motivation, followed by enrichment and social motivations, were the most important variables in modeling non-harmful involvement. Coping/escapism motivation, followed by urgency and lack of perseverance (two impulsivity traits), were found as the most important predictors of problematic involvement. These findings indicate that non-harmful involvement is characterized by positive reinforcement triggered by TV series watching, while problematic involvement is linked to negative reinforcement motives and impulsivity traits

Binge-Watching Rate as a Predictor of Viewer Transportation Mechanisms

Binge-watching has yet to be adequately analyzed and researched to determine its effects upon viewers, despite the fact that nine in ten Americans engage in the activity (Crupi, 2015). While some studies have attempted to discover causes or effects of the activity, most research fails to capture the viewing aspects of binge-watching that make the experience unique. This thesis attempted to more specifically define binge-watching, as well as measure its association with viewer transportation – viewer immersion – into the visual narrative. A survey design facilitated the exploration of any linkages between the amount of a viewer’s binge-watching and his or her immersion in the content. Regression analysis found that increases in both total viewing sessions and hours per session predicted an increase in transportation and the subcomponents therein. However, the interaction of the binge-watching variables predicted a decrease in transportation, implying that too much viewing had adverse effects. Further, viewing on tablets and game consoles predicted higher levels of transportation than viewing on Mac or PC. Results and implications for theory and industry are discussed