Understanding the Phenomenon of Binge-Watching—A Systematic Review

Abstract

Binge-watching is a relatively new behaviour pattern whose popularity has been increasing since 2013, ultimately to become one of the most popular ways of spending free time, especially among young people. However, there is still a dearth of research on this phenomenon. The aim of this study is to present the current understanding and psychological conditions of binge-watching, as provided in the research papers published between 2013 and 2020. This systematic review, including 28 articles, addresses different approaches to defining this behaviour, diverse motivations, personality traits, and risks of excessive binge-watching. Its results imply that there are two perspectives in understanding binge-watching. The first is related to entertainment, positive emotions, cognition, and spending free time. However, the second perspective emphasises the negative outcomes of excessive binge-watching and symptoms of behavioural addiction. There is undoubtedly a need for further research to be conducted on diversified populations to reach more profound understanding of binge-watching behaviour patterns.

Personality Traits and Motivation as Factors Associated with Symptoms of Problematic Binge-Watching

“…Some studies indicate that binge-watching is gender neutral phenomenon [17,25]. However, systematic reviews concerning the phenomenon of binge-watching show that women were the majority of the participants in most of these studies [14,66]. It can be assumed that binge-watching as a topic of research may be more interesting for women.…”

Investigating Binge-Watching Adverse Mental Health Outcomes During Covid-19 Pandemic: Moderating Role of Screen Time for Web Series Using Online Streaming

“…Binge-watching gained popularity with the paradigm shift in the consumption patterns of entertainment media content through streaming channels. 1 This has taken watching films, series, and episodes to a new level as the traditional weekly episodic releases in TV shows are now being watched simultaneously because the whole season is made available online. 2 Using these online streaming services for consuming several episodes of television shows in rapid succession is known as bingewatching.…”

“…2 Using these online streaming services for consuming several episodes of television shows in rapid succession is known as bingewatching. 3 It has become a new global norm in the consumption of television shows 1,4 and individuals have adopted it as their leisure activity. 2,5 Since binge-watching has rapidly become the new standardized approach of viewing TV shows, especially among young adults, 6 it is assumed that excessive engagement in binge-watching leads to problematic patterns of watching TV series and deleterious effects.…”

“…Similarly, as a comparatively new phenomenon, bingewatching has yet to be comprehensively investigated. 1,9 Thus, it is proper to probe into the impact binge-watching and screen time for web series through online streaming services has on individuals. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to determine the association between psychological well-being issues (eg, depression, anxiety, loneliness, and insomnia) and binge-watching.…”

The Effects of Changing Forms of Watching Tv Series as a Result of Binge-Watching on the Viewers

“…Aynı zamanda kişiselleştirilebilen yayın akışı, aşırı izleme için kilit bir öneme sahiptir. Gerçekleştirilen araştırmalarda (Starosta & Izydorczyk, 2020), (Sung, Kang, & Wee, 2015) aşırı izlemenin bağımlılığa sebep olduğunu; yalnızlık ve depresyon ile ilişkili olduğu tespit edilmiştir. Ateşalp ve Başlar'ın (2020, s. 108-136) araştırma sonuçlarına göre, aşırı izlemenin olumlu (sosyalleşmek, serbest zamanları değerlendirmek) ve olumsuz (vakit kaybı, yorulma, bağımlılık ve gündemden kaçmak) sonuçları tespit edilmiştir.…”