Why is Netflix addicting? Continued…

Introduction:

A couple of years ago when Netflix started to move its way into the entertainment spotlight, I have to say I never got sucked into the whole craze. Until now. All people talk about now  is binge watching TV shows and watching shows they never even would if there wasn’t such a convenient way to stream shows like Netflix does.  I honestly never thought I would get involved either but of course I did. My friend gave me his Netflix account about a month ago and I have never been this unproductive before. Of course this new obsession is timed perfectly at a point where blogs are due, tests are posted, and assignments are at there peak. I figured that even though everyone writes about this topic, there is still information that intrigues us and data that proves why we are all so addicted to the same thing. So here is a breakdown of why Netflix is such a monster to our daily lives due to its addicting traits, as described by urbandictionary.com.

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Why is it so addicting?:

You may have thought that Netflix uses color schemes, show watching convenience, or variety of shows to increase how addictive their concept is, as described in a recent huffingtonpost.com article concerning Netflix’s addictiveness.  Those may be somewhat true but there is an even bigger reason why. Netflix has cracked one of the biggest marketing breakthroughs in entertainment history. The company has honed in sorting through the shows that are the most watchable and has figured out the exact moment people get addicted to a certain program. By figuring out the exact moment viewers are addicted to the show, the company can focus on which shows and moments they present to the user. Netflix uses data taken from users account information and viewing history to build a sort of viewer resume that effects when they get addicted that specific show.  Smithsonianmag.com discusses this breakthrough as a sort of phenomenon is such an industry. For years people have wondered why they are addicted to this TV watching method, but know that they know they are addicted at exactly a certain moment, there is no stopping the addiction besides from not watching at all.  Another hypothesis for why people are so addicted to Netflix is the theory that people are consumed in reaching a goal when they are engaged in that certain activity. In terms of TV, people generally become very consumed in that such activity, therefore becoming totally committed to that goal. This proves to be a source of addiction through data in the numbers of viewers being engaged in their program, which again was collected when looking at user data that is explained on lifehacker.co.uk. The Null Hypothesis of this situation is that when people are engaged in a certain activity, in this situation their TV program, they are more likely to finish that show and becoming addicted and watch the next, so on and so forth. The Alternate Hypothesis is that when someone loses interest in something, or doesn’t get involved, AKA not having Netflix, they will not become engaged in a goal, or become addicted to that activity.

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Conclusion: 

Netflix is something that most of us view as a problem. This problem is generated due to our addiction to the process of watching TV over and over as a result of factors such as accessibility, goal-commitment, and timing.

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Sources:

lifehacker.co.uk

huffingtonpost.com

smithsonianmag.com

dailymail.co.uk

alternet.org

 

 

7 thoughts on “Why is Netflix addicting? Continued…

  1. Colleen Bridget Mcshea

    I find your conclusion to be very true because if it was not, I would not be up at three in the morning finishing my blog comments. I struggle to rip myself away from my laptop when watching Netflix. I always say to myself, “Just one more episode can’t hurt,” but in reality I believe it does. If it weren’t for Netflix I would have all my assignments finished much sooner and possibly put more effort into them. I’ve come up with this system of forcing myself to finish my homework first and using Netflix as a reward if I do. At the same time, though, I believe this causes me to rush through my homework to get to the prize faster. So, overall, I think the Netflix addiction can have a very bad impact on school work and grades.

  2. Pengji Wei

    Hello. Great article. It really got my attention because I love to watch movies and Tv shows. Unlike China, America has a more restrict rules of the copy-right. So after I arrived here, I have no way to watch the TV shows and movies I like. But one day, my friends tell me I should try Netflix, So after I use it, I found it it’s really good. Because I can watch all series of TV show and all TV episodes on Netflix. I think that is the part where people got so addicted. Because unlike TV, people can watch a full, complete TV show on Netflix. So people can finished that TV really quick, and leave no mystery. Also like you said in blog, Netflix can summary what’s user like and create a user interface for users. So after people finish a TV show, they will provide them a similar one. Here is a link I found why Netflix got so popular in recent years.
    http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/most-popular/15-reasons-why-netflix-is-the-media-streaming-giant/

  3. Melanie Noemi Campos

    This caught my eye seeing as i am a Netflix watcher and i feel as though you can let yourself get addicted to anything if you do it too much. However, im not quite sure i follow along with the goal hypothesis. I understand wanting to watch a show and getting sucked into it but i think more research needs to be done in this study to truly figure out why we are “addicted” to Netflix and what differs our addiction to it more than to regular television. Its an interesting topic, this is an article of how to break such addiction, http://national.deseretnews.com/article/2549/how-to-break-up-with-your-netflix-addiction.html

  4. Kate Billings

    I definitely see where Netflix went right in being so successful. I have never seen any other company organize their website the way Netflix does. It’s very unique that after you watch a TV show or movie Netflix automatically comes up with show or movies just like that for you to watch next. They use your recent history on the site to intrigue you to watch more shows or movies similar to the last ones you have watched. This is clearly a smart way to operate a website like this. Netflix is hugely popular, especially among teens and college students. It’s almost like Netflix is a personal shopper finding the perfect tv shows or movies to match your taste.

  5. Greg Belluscio

    I agree with everything in your article, one thing I think may have been overlooked is the cult like following of some shows that causes a massive number of viewers to become looped into shows because “everyone else is watching it”.

  6. Naseem Memari

    I thought that this was for sure an eye catching article, as the topic is very relatable to I’m sure too many students! When I want to keep watching just “one more episode” I always wonder why it is so addicting, and your article was great to read for that reason.

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