5 Things We Lost When Binge-Watching Took Over the World

As a member of the mini-generation between Gen-X and Millennials, I think I speak for many of us when I say that there is a part of our collective unconscious that profoundly misses the early Internet experience and the freedom that came before it. We remember life before iPhones and constant social media, but we have been deeply steeped in the process of technology’s evolution into its current iteration. We’ve been immersed in life on both sides now, and I think it’s worth reflecting on some things we have all lost particularly since ubiquitous television streaming has taken over our world.

5. Patience, Memory, and Perseverance: This is perhaps the most obvious, but it might as well be mentioned. Waiting a whole week between episodes required patience and perseverance to continue with a show through a whole season or series over long stretches of time, and a good memory to recall what happened in previous episodes! Patience, memory, and perseverance have dwindled dramatically in all facets of daily life in the last ten years, from pushing through tough math in school classrooms to remembering phone numbers to just waiting in line at a traffic light. Who knew waiting around for our favorite television shows and characters each week was building such quality character traits?

4. Community: I watched the finale of Seinfeld when I was in eighth grade, not because I cared about the show, but because I knew I’d feel left out the following day at school. I would feel disconnected from my community. One of my favorite memories from college was gathering in the dorm lounge or our house’s living room with huge groups of thirty friends to watch Gilmore Girls and the finale of Friends, among other shows. We shared the common experiences of waiting for and watching each episode as it aired for the first time, instead of holing up in our rooms hoping to not be spoiled until we had time to watch it. We made the time, together, because we had to. We couldn’t just put it off until later, because unless someone had taped it, there would be no later for a long time. Besides, watching with friends just heightened the anticipation and the fun. One especially memorable moment was gathering for Jim and Pam’s wedding on The Office. We shared in the laughter and the celebration as it was happening. A shared experience. Connection.

3. Speculation, Imagination, and Creativity: When you have to wait a whole week between episodes of your favorite show, it offers plenty of time to stew and think and imagine what might happen with your favorite characters. All sorts of scenarios had time to fully develop in your head, adding to the richness of the show itself. And if the show went a different direction than the scenario in your head, then you could still enjoy the one you invented. For many people, this mental exercise spawned other creative outlets beginning with fan art and writing fan fiction, eventually blossoming into a general love of art and writing. People are still creating fanfiction for The X-Files and Buffy, the Vampire Slayer and Dawson’s Creek, which tells us something both about the longevity of the connection and mental investment of viewers, and the effort that the show’s creators and actors poured into their character’s development over years. There’s been so much speculation floating around about several 90s shows that it’s prompting actors and creators alike to consider reunion shows all over the place, much to the joy of 90s kids grown up who need something fun and imaginative that hearkens back to our youth amidst our little kids and mortgages!

2. Light-hearted, Stimulating Conversation: Because we were all watching the same shows at the same time, friends and strangers could converse together on shared topics that had nothing to do with current events or politics. I loved listening to my high school students, especially as they approached graduation, reminisce about their favorite childhood shows. One favorite memory from my own high school experience was coming into Senior Hall at my all-girls academy on a Wednesday morning and hollering, “Okay, who watched Gilmore Girls last night?!!” And suddenly everyone was talking at once about Jess verses Dean (Logan hadn’t happened yet) or debating some decision Rory or Lorelai had made. My classmates were not all friends, but we all understood the Gilmore Girls. Entertainment goes a long way in bringing people together through conversation.

1. Common Cultural Experience: One reason I think school buildings are so haunting is because of all the culture that has happened within the walls, over the course of decades. It’s a history that disappears upon graduation but is a secret shared by the people who were there and a mystery to those who weren’t. I think the same is true of television and the kids, teens, and adults that came of age during the eras of certain shows. When Luke Perry died this year, a whole cohort of women across the country mourned the death of the hot bad boy of Beverly Hills 90210. They all understood. To some degree I suppose this might still be the case with shows available for binging. Time will tell. But ultimately, I could live anywhere in the United States, even far away from home, and even at 34 years old I can easily find my people over a conversation about the television shows we shared. I find that chatting about these shows actually makes me homesick for that time and the place where I watched it. These shows connect us culturally, across geography, and make us feel a part of something bigger, something special. We were there when it happened.

These traits may not be visibly widespread in our American culture right now, but I think it’s important to consider how to bring them into our lives in new and different ways aside from television. Binge-watching has its place. But I think that place is for watching shows that have already happened. If network TV could keep up the creativity of the streaming services, it would probably be good for us to slow down, make time for a good old-fashioned network television show in the rhythm of our weeks. It would also help if streaming services would create some more light-hearted imaginative stories. Until then, I’ll be over here in my show-hole, reading and writing fanfiction, and attempting to forge some entertaining conversation, creativity, perseverance, patience, in a world thrusting immediate gratification all up in my grille.