Binge watching booms during quarantine
By Maddie Qualls, staff writer
With increased free time in quarantine, many students have turned to TV, increasing their screen time and subscriptions to streaming services.
In a survey answered by 453 Maria Carrillo High School students, almost 93 percent said they use Netflix. This overwhelming statistic mirrors worldwide patterns. According to The Los Angeles Times in April, almost 16 million new people, globally, subscribed to Netflix since the stay at home orders in March.
The MCHS survey also revealed that 54 percent of students use Disney+, nearly 49 percent use Amazon Prime Video, and almost 39 percent use Hulu.
The responses to the student survey also report that over 75 percent of people watch more in quarantine than before. The majority watch one to two more hours every day, contributing to the three hour daily average in quarantine. However, most students said that the start of school in August curbed their watching habits slightly.
Considering that, in the MCHS survey, most students said they finish one season of a show in under a week, everyone has sped through plenty of series. Some top picks of MCHS students, in order, include Grey’s Anatomy, Criminal Minds, Avatar: the Last Airbender, The Vampire Diaries, and Outer Banks.
With all the extra time for binge watching, people have also had time to explore new genres. Almost 26 percent of students reported a shift in their genre preferences, with the most prevalent change being people watching more anime. One student says that before quarantine she “was completely unaware of the wondrous world of anime.” Considering that now almost 30 percent of students watch anime, it is dramatically increasing in popularity.
Although people have strayed into new film territories, nearly 72 percent of survey respondents stated that they revisited old favorites. Part of this is due to the bingeable quality of shows with numerous seasons. According to the survey, 58 percent of students rewatched series with seven or more seasons. The front-runner of timeless television is The Office with its nine seasons, making it not only the top rewatchable series, but the most watched production during quarantine.
However, with all the extra time to spare, desperate boredom has driven students to watch embarrassing things as well. Three prominent categories include cheesy teen dramas, reality TV shows, and shows and movies for children. The most mentioned dramas are the The Kissing Booth movies, which, according to one survey taker, “should be made illegal.” The top reality show is Too Hot to Handle. Lastly, the largest category, children’s films, has an impressively long list of 33 titles, the most popular being Sofia the First. Although it is generally humiliating to confess watching these shameful shows and movies, everyone will soon be thankful for the films that got them through quarantine. Besides, admit it; sometimes they are just so awful you have to keep watching.
Also, to the person who watches The Grinch multiple times each week, are you okay?