If you haven’t heard “watch (some fan
favourite show or movie)!

It’s on Netflix” or, “let’s have a night in and watch
Netflix,” you either live under a rock or somehow prefer
the ads and time constraints of cable. With approximately
118 million subscribers globally, Netflix is undoubtedly the
streaming heavyweight on the market (Source: recode.net).
If Video Killed the Radio Star, Netflix Killed Video. With
a relatively wide selection of shows new and old, as well as
movies that span in genre from horror to romance, from
action to documentaries about serial killers (we see you,
Ted Bundy fans), and most options in between, every type
of TV show fan has their pick of poison.

Netflix also offers an abundance of original shows
only available to its patrons. Beginning in 2013 with
powerhouses like Orange is the New Black and House of
Cards, Netflix has expanded to offer about 700 original
shows (Variety.com). The streaming service has also racked

: up a staggering 112 Emmy nominations for its originals
(wired.com). Netflix’s virtual monopoly over the stream-
ing market also promotes an increase in their prices. The
: helplessly invested general public then sighs, maybe tweets
about it, but inevitably complies. The critics and billions of
\© patrons agree: Netflix is in, and it is here to stay.

There is no denying that the service is conve-

Netlfix and... Chill?


eee eee ee |
nient. With three different plan tiers, ranging from basic
to advanced, there are payment options for everyone. The
app allows offline viewing through downloading shows
or movies on WIFI. With uninterrupted viewing, binge-
watching is not only possible but all too easy to do. Why
do we choose this streaming service that only has the last
four Harry Potter movies and just betrayed the nation by
taking down Bob’s Burgers? The answer is a mix of the
change in technological culture recently and the fear of
missing out on a social aspect.

As a social species, humans yearn to be accepted
by their peers. Netflix’s reign over television inevitably
affects everyday conversations. The embarrassment of
missing out on a show reference a friend group makes can
be awkward or just plain humiliating. With the expanse of
now off-air television shows available with a Netflix sub-
scription, the shows that influenced pop culture then are
available now. It is these shows that can impact the jokes
people make, the way people dress, as well as people’s
interests. What began as a means of entertainment has
manifested into a significant component of how we relate

to one another almost every day.

Looking for background noise while scrolling
through our phones is great and all, but there should be
a limit to what we deem as entertainment, and what we

consider as compulsive or even addictive. “Helplessly in-