BEAT YOUR NETFLIX ADDICTION

‘On-demand entertainment is quite the rage today. Every episode of every TV series is available at the click of a button. What is it doing to our social lives, though?’
Let’s face it. We’re all today addicted to watching TV series on the internet. Oh no, movies are not that bad. You watch a movie, you’re done with it in two hours. There’s closure. You can turn off your computer, curl up and sleep. You will probably think about the movie for a while, maybe even dream about it, but you will at least get some shut-eye.
But these blasted TV series go on and on, don’t they? Especially when the episode ends, they make sure that they finish on a cliff-hanger so that you’re absolutely dying to get to the next episode. In the old days it used to be that we should wait for a week for the next episode. There was waiting, anticipation, even impatience. But now, all of that has gone for a toss. Want to see the next episode? Just click on the link and you can watch it right now.
Where is the delicious thrill of waiting? And more importantly, how many times have we stayed way past our bedtime telling ourselves that this will be the last episode for the night, pinky promise?
It’s not just sleep we’re losing out on. What about our social lives? If you’re old enough to do so, cast your mind back to the times before on-demand television. Do you remember how you used to spend your after-work time on weekdays? Did you have a mid-week hobby, like a dance class or a swimming lesson? Did you play the flute, perhaps? Or god forbid, did you read a book every night before you go to bed? Have you ever wondered what happened to all of those things?
Well, guess what. They’re still around. It’s just that on-demand entertainment is pampering us so much that we cannot find time any more for things that gave our lives meaning. Some would argue that watching television series is not completely devoid of meaning, but come on, do you really think that watching a series by yourself – no matter how good – does the same to your mind as, say, reading a novel? Study upon study has shown that watching television is a passive form of engagement, where the viewer is only mildly participating. Creative endeavours such as reading, playing a musical instrument, and even conversation have been proven to engage our sense more deeply, and create lasting memories.
So if you’re spending most of your day looking forward to curling up on your couch or your bed with your laptop, watching the latest episode of the latest TV series, then you most likely have a Netflix addiction. If you have something to say about every TV series that has ever been aired on the planet, then you most definitely have an addiction.
To kick this habit, the best way is to disconnect from the internet so that it becomes hard for you to access the stuff that you’d like to see. Another way is to slow down your internet connection so that you can check your email etc but streaming videos is a pain. Then you can gradually start to reclaim your life bit by bit, and when you emerge the other side you will find that you’re a much happier person.
Good luck!