The Impact that Streaming Sites Have on Society
Intro
A decade ago, my family like millions of other families around the world would gather in front of the Tv and watch shows together nowadays this is considered to be a rare occurrence. The rise in online video streaming sites have altered the way how we consume media and who we consume it with. You are more likely to find a family watching the same show in different places at different times than seeing them watching it together. Services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and countless more have given people the ability to consume millions of hours of content at the touch of their fingertips. For example, as of April 2020, Netflix alone has “13,941 titles” in its international libraries (Sam Cook, 2020) to put it into context it would probably take you over a decade to finish watching Netflix’s entire library. These services have just begun to show their influence and will only continue to gain popularity with the likes of Netflix already accounting for a staggering “12.6%” (Todd Spangler, 2019) of the entire world’s internet bandwidth. The traditional ways of watching shows and movies are starting to become obsolete and it is clear that for better or worse streaming sites are their replacements. With the power and influence that streaming sites have started to have over our lives, it stands to reason that we must think about the impact that they will undoubtedly have not only on us as individuals but on our society overall.
What is the purpose of my Case Study?
My case study has no real objective to answer instead this study will serve as more of an overall analysis of the negative impacts that streaming sites have had on society over the recent years in terms of the way people both create and consume content. Rather than discussing three issues that are closely connected to each other, I decided to look at issues that at the first glance might seem extremely distant from one another but in reality, they all link back up and at times build off one another. I felt that by exploring streaming sites from three somewhat unique perspectives I could come to an all-encompassing analysis of the negative impact that it has had on our society.
The first section of my study will focus on the concept of “binge-watching” understanding its origins and how it has shaped the way we consume content and the negative health risks that come with binging content. This section will tackle the negatives that come along with the “binge-watching” culture that has surrounded this concept.
The second section of my study will focus on analyzing the way streaming services have changed the way we perceive the importance of certain content and the negatives that come along with that including dividing people into groups and the issues that come along with having too many options.
The third and final section of my study will discuss the future of streaming sites analyzing the current situation and elaborating on various issues that have started to be noticed. This final part will also serve to bridge every section together in an effort to tie up the whole study.
Brief History of Streaming Sites
Before we can understand the issues with streaming sites, we must first look at their origins. The concept of streaming media from a far-off location to your home is not a recent one in fact one could argue that Netflix follows the same core functions of that of radio or television established over a century ago, but the idea could not be properly executed until around 15 years ago. In the 1990s and early 2000s during the adoption of the internet into people’s homes, their connections were not stable or strong enough to allow for the streaming of media thus people relied on places and services like Blockbuster or Netflix’s DVD by mail. For multiple years this was the primary way for individuals to obtain video media without having to outright buy the show or movie. When fast and reliable internet connections were becoming commonplace it led to the creation of online video sharing platforms like YouTube in 2005 which proved that it was possible for high-quality full-length videos to not only be hosted on a site but also be viewed by millions of people from around the world.
Companies like that of Netflix took notice of the possibilities that streaming media could have and slowly integrated them into their businesses. In 2007 Netflix entered the streaming world as a secondary business not thinking too much of it Journalists were even reporting that the service was just “meant to give the company a toehold in the embryonic world of Internet movie distribution” (Miguel Helft, 2007). Within 2 years of the launch of Netflix’s streaming service, it had shown so much success it was leading to headlines such “Netflix Everywhere: Sorry Cable, You’re History” (Wired 2009). The success that Netflix displayed influenced the launch of other streaming services like that of Hulu in 2008 and since then dozens upon dozens have been created. Just last year we even saw the launch of streaming sites from two of the largest companies in the world with Apple Tv+ and Disney+. The age of the streaming service has just begun even as I am writing this paper there are still more streaming sites to launch with HBO Max debuting by the end of the month and NBC’s Peacock launching later this year.
Section 1- Is Binge-Watching Culture Bad for society?
What is Binge Watching?
One of the most widely accepted definitions of binge-watching is as follows.
“To watch many or all episodes of (a TV series) in rapid succession” (Merriam Webster, 2020)
The concept of binge-watching and streaming services go hand and hand, which they rightfully should be considering the fact that it was the rise of streaming services that eventually led to the adoption of binge-watching as an everyday phrase. The reason being that the term binge-watching is used to refer to watching multiple episodes of a series in a short amount of time which most often can only be accomplished on streaming sites due to the act of binge-watching requiring a backlog of episodes.
Using Google Trends to compare the interest of the terms “binge-watching” and “Netflix” there is a clear correlation between them as Netflix became known as the premier streaming service the interest in binge-watching also grew. The term binge-watching has been ingrained into pop culture and the act of binge-watching has been ingrained into society which has proven to be problematic for a variety of reasons.
How has it Impacted People?
Health Standpoint
Despite the fact that the concept of binge-watching has only been well known for around less than a decade it has still been the subject of controversy especially from the standpoint of what dangers it could have on our bodies. In recent years there has been a multitude of scientific studies that looked at the negative health impacts that binge-watching has on our bodies.
An article from the Washington Post recapped multiple studies that detailed some of the various health problems that can stem from binge-watching. The problems included “poor sleep quality, increased fatigue, and more insomnia symptoms” (Jenna Birch, 2019). The reasoning behind the correlation between these issues and binge-watching is the fact that consuming so much content at once especially at night overstimulates our brains and leads to poor sleep that can turn into insomnia. There has also been links found between the act of binge-watching and depression with a 2018 New York Post article detailed the results of a survey that concluded with “More than half of people surveyed” admitting “they experienced mental health issues after completing a series.” (Andrea Downey, 2018). In reality, despite a large amount of research on the impact of binge-watching in relations a person’s health that is already out there, the more long-term health risks are still to be explored.
Social Standpoint
Binge-watching has been proven to have an impact on our bodies but when looking at the impact it has on society there are other glaring issues. I like many feel that streaming platforms have gained so much notoriety and influences into our daily lives that they are have become almost like a quasi-social media of sorts. Just like there are social media trends there are streaming trends. Even though the idea of a series gaining worldwide recognition and media attention after its debut is nothing new the power that streaming sites have, made this happen at a magnitude never seen before.
A prime example is that of Netflix’s Tiger King the documentary has gone on to be watched by more than “64 million households worldwide over its first month of release” (Dominic Patten, 2020). This series went trending in every sense of the word with it being discussed on every form of social media and traditional media. With the reality being that if it were released as a series on traditional TV network it would not have had the same reach. Just looking at the google trends of the name “Joe Exotic” it is plain to see the immense reach that a site like Netflix has. But alongside that recognition, there also comes the societal burden that some people have to endure that being keeping up with trends. The article My so-called Instagram Life by Clara Dollar has its author recall the changes that they made to their online life in order to gain appease others essentially creating an entire online persona in order to satisfy the need for approval. They even described the level of change they made for online recognition as feeling like they “super-glued a mask over my face” (Dollar 2017). What the author of the article did is something that has become common and is on the rise due to the trend hopping nature of social media which is now being heavily influenced by streaming culture. Going back to the google trend of I referenced it is clear that the influx of people researching the series was influenced by the various forms of media that were reporting on the series. I bet that there are plenty of people that have researched the series just so they could be part of the conversation. Streaming culture has created an unhealthy cycle of a series gaining popularity and engulfing all forms of media for a short time forcing people to watch stuff they haven’t would not normally watch just so they can be a part of the conversation only for the next series to come out and have the cycle repeat all over again.
Section 2- The Cost of Content
Goodbye Monoculture?
In my intro I noted that Netflix alone has enough content to last you for more than a decade at first glance this sounds wonderful, but the reality is that streaming services and their giant library contents have harmfully changed the way we choose what to watch and the culture around that decision. The power to watch almost any show we want within seconds has proven to be too much for some creating a sense of “over choice” that has led to the decline of monoculture. The concept of over choice is used to describe instances in which an individual has a hard time making a choice when faced with too many options. This phenomenon fits perfectly with the core practices that streaming sites are based on. Over choice correlates to the way in which monoculture is being destroyed since when dealing with streaming sites people are rarely watching the same thing at the same time. The main focus of monoculture is preserving a sense of unity that came along with the traditional consumption of media through a platform like Tv. This is something that can not truly occur with streaming sites. The article What is Monoculture by Kyle Chayka details this very idea noting that the only to way to know if others are watching the same thing as you is by having to “check some other part of the internet, like searching a show’s hashtag on Twitter” (Chayka 2019). People are no longer brought together by just simply watching a show in the same room instead they are now influenced by the watching habits of others. This is an issue that I explored in the previous section. The monoculture article even includes a quote by an investor that supports this idea that streaming sites are meant to get people to influence others, “If you’re watching something early or first, you’re going to be the carrier of that to your friend” (Hunter 2019). This warped way idea of how streaming culture both gives you too much freedom to the point that it forces you to follow trends is harmful to society. Back in the day when people watched shows together in one room even if one person did not like the show, they kept watching it just for the bonding experience, but nowadays when we are all watching shows separately it have leads to questions like why do you even start watching a show? Is it just because you saw it trending? who are you even watching the show for? For yourself? Or to appease societal pressure? It is clear that with the access to countless series that streaming services are providing there comes a heavy cost that being the loss of monoculture and the societal bonds that came with taking part in watching a piece of media as a group.
Socioeconomic Divide
Another problem that I have noted in relation to the way streaming services handle their business is that of the impact their prices have on people. Like I stated before the idea of being able to watch any show you wanted within seconds sounds too good to be true, and well at least some streaming sites are making sure it is that way. The fact is that as streaming sites have grown so have their prices which have led to some concluding that streaming sites are becoming part of a socioeconomic divide of sorts which ties into monoculture. In the early days of streaming the two giant streaming sites were Netflix and Hulu with Netflix having a reasonable price of 8 dollars for their standard plan and Hulu for a few years being free with ads. Fast forward to today the standard Netflix plan is now 13 dollars and the same Hulu with ads has gone from free to 8 dollars. Streaming sites have now become moderately expensive to the point that a large number of people realistically have to choose not only which services they can afford but also what specific plan they can get. For example, an article detailed that in 2017 Hulu had 47 million unique viewers and a staggering “32 million of them watch Hulu’s program with ads” (Much Needed 2020). Even though the difference between Hulu’s standard plan and their ad-free plan is only 4 dollars, those 4 dollars have proven to be too much for a staggering amount of their user base. The idea that not everybody has access to the same content is something was not as big as a problem decades ago when TVs had only a few channels but nowadays it has become one of the major issues that has been killing monoculture. If people can not even watch the same things separately then the idea of even a digital monoculture is doomed.
Section 3- The Future of Streaming Services
Streaming sites are heralded as the future of entertainment ever since they started gaining popularity they have been praised as alternatives to the traditional satellite and cable, but the issues that lead to the demise of those services have begun to show themselves within streaming services. In the previous section, I discussed how the increased cost of streaming sites has impacted monoculture and it also reflects the very same issues people had with satellite/cable. Looking back a decade or so people were having to make hard choices on what satellite/cable package made the most economical sense. This parallels the way people now have to decide what streaming service will give them the most value. The reasoning behind streaming sites adopting these terrible practices is that companies finally realize the profit they could make. The success of Netflix and other streaming sites change the way entertainment is handled and companies began to reason that instead of licensing out their content to these sites they should build their own and reek all the profits. This capitalist mindset has led to content jumping from streaming service to streaming service and massive deals being made to prevent this. Just last year Netflix spent a lot of money to keep the show Friends on its site “spending a reported $100 million to keep the classic ’90s sitcom in its catalog for another year” (Emily VandDerWerff, 2020). If this practice of media gerrymandering continues it will only lead to a future in which every media organization will have its own streaming service and eventually create bundles which will be nothing more than glorified satellite/cable bundles.
Is the future free content?
With price increases and exclusives becoming the primary focus of streaming sites it has led to many people seeking alternative means of entertainment, even bringing up the question of in this digital age do you really need to pay for content? This point is something that has only started to garner some mainstream attention over the prior years. Multiple companies like Sony and Amazon have started to push their ad-based streaming services more and more. The reality is that maybe adopting this notion of not having to pay for a streaming service will solve some of the negative impacts that the services have had on society. For instance, in terms of monoculture, if everybody has access to the same media then the ideas of a digital monoculture which the Vox article discussed could see some progress. This subject matter is still too new to fully explore but I am sure that it will be a part of a bigger discussion on how we consume media in the near future.
Conclusion
In the end, my research has led me to discover the vital flaws and impact that streaming services have not only had on society but the ones they might have in the near future. Binge-watching has proven to be not only a danger to our health but to our way of life. The societal pressure that comes with social media is directly linked to streaming culture and thus people are being forced to watch programs for the sake of fitting in and getting accepted online. These societal pressure are also influencing the demise of monoculture. People are no longer watching shows together at the same time instead they are watching a show whenever and wherever they want to. This liberty that streaming platforms have given people can be considered a double-edged sword since too many options can lead to some people experience choice overload. This further perpetuates the influence that streaming sites and social media have on people. All of these issues are ones that can be easily observed in everyday online interactions, but there are other issues that are still in development. With one of the biggest issues that streaming sites are yet to face being their eventual transformation to glorified satellite/cable services. All in all, this case study was not meant to serve as a deep dive into all of the issues I have spoken about instead I wrote this as almost a beginner’s guide to the impacts that streaming sites have had on our society. I hope that at least some topic that I have written about has resonated with you and inspired you to further study it.
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