Wednesday, September 19, 2018

Binging
We all know people who binge eat or binge drink from time to time, however binge entertainment is a new phenomenon. With the advent of streaming services, binging on television series fits right in with our instant gratification society.
            People watch hour after hour of a particular series, forgetting the world around them. Others binge in mini bursts, spreading their viewing over a few days.  Not for me, I always thought until a recent health issue forced me to stay off my feet as much as possible for a few weeks. You get bored when you cannot move around easily. I read a lot but when I needed a break television became somewhat of a friend.
            Truly out of character for me, I began watching television during the day, something I seldom if ever did. However, because of my physical limitations television eased boredom. And as luck would have it, I came across a “nostalgic” channel showing each day two reruns of a series I had particularly liked when it was on in prime time. I easily became hooked into a mini-binging burst every day. It was most enjoyable and it made me forget my problems, for a time at least.
            The reruns of the series eventually came to an end just as I improved physically. I then spent more time on getting back to my old self.
            That binging interlude made me understand how people can become hooked on watching the thread of a storyline as it progresses immediately from one episode to another instead of waiting a week between episodes. However, I suspect that entertainment bingers have to neglect other aspects of their lives in order to satisfy their need for instant satisfaction. One of those is certainly the fact that hours spent in front of the tube is bound to reduce physical activity.
            But, as I found out, as in everything else there are exceptions to the rule.