Binge-watching practices in the pre-pandemic era. Scale of measurement, discourses and related social effects from a case study of university students from Spain
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24137/raeic.9.18.11Keywords:
Binge-Watching, multiplatform, Netflix, inter-method triangulation, TV, streamingAbstract
The new modes of television consumption point to the interest of binge-watching as the object of study. This paper builds an intensity index that classifies users into “irregular”, “regular” or “dedicated”. Methodologically, an inter-method sequence is applied, combining descriptive and multivariate statistical analyses, as well as discussion groups from which cleavages or discursive positions derive. The results of the research indicate that most of the University population are binge-watchers so the terms have changed and a new scale is necessary for identifying the level of engagement with binge-watching behaviour in the current. Almost 30% of the university population under study corresponds to the typical-ideal category of “dedicated” and 33% with the “regular”. The growth rate of the phenomenon is exponential between 2016-2019. The triggering motivations for binge-watching are primarily hedonic; its effects affect our moods especially in “dedicated” users. Two different types of viewing are clearly identified. The first is committed or prioritized viewing (with a high attention level, high dependence and sympathy with regards to the story and characters), and secondary or complimentary viewing. The study concludes that, in a pre-pandemic context of over-audiovisual fiction content (fictoxication), the ability to select and self-assess the media diet acquires the fundamental skill status in the socio-educational framework of the younger ones.
Downloads
References
AIMC (2021). 23º Navegantes en la Red. Retrieved from https://cutt.ly/IMkR4KA
Alimoradi, Z., Jafari, E., Potenza, M. N., Lin, C. Y., Wu, C. Y. & Pakpour, A. H. (2022). Binge-Watching and Mental Health Problems: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(15), 9707. https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fijerph19159707
Bauman, Z. (2003). Modernidad líquida. Madrid: Fondo de Cultura Económica.
Bauman, Z. (2005). Vida líquida. Barcelona: Paidós.
Castro, D., Rigby, J. M., Cabral, D. & Nisi, V. (2021). The binge-watcher’s journey: Investigating motivations, contexts, and affective states surrounding Netflix viewing. Convergence, 27(1), 3–20. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856519890856
Cascajosa, C. (2016). La cultura de las series. Barcelona: Laertes.
Cerezo, J. & Cerezo, P. (2017). La televisión que viene. Madrid: Evoca comunicación e imagen.
Conde, F. (2009). Análisis sociológico del sistema de discursos. Madrid: CIS.
Costa-Sánchez, C. & López-García, X. (2020). Comunicación y crisis del coronavirus en España. Primeras lecciones. Profesional de la Información, 29(3), e290304. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2020.may.04
Dalpizol, V.A. (2018). Você ainda está assistindo?: O consumo audiovisual sob demanda em plataformas digitais e a articulação das prácticas relacionadas à Netflix na rotina dos usuarios (PhD dissertation). Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/38WFCrs
De Keere, K., Thunnissen, E. & Kuipers, G. (2020). Defusing moral panic: Legitimizing binge-watching as manageable, high-quality, middle-class hedonism. Media, Culture & Society, 43(4), 629-647. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720972315
Del Campo, E., Puebla, B. & Ivars, B. (2016). Las series de televisión: 'multiverso' objeto de estudio en Comunicación. Index.comunicación, 6(2), 13-19. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2RWMhwh
Del Castillo, P. (2004). Nota metodológica sobre los indicadores del barómetro del CIS. REIS, 108(1), 151-178. doi: 10.2307/40184657
Deloitte. (2015). Digital Democracy Survey (10th ed). Retrieved from https://bit.ly/39HobeR
Erickson, S., Dal Cin, S. & Byl, H. (2019). An Experimental Examination of Binge Watching and Narrative Engagement. Social Sciences, 8(19), 9. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8010019
Fernández-Manzano, E.P., Neira, E. & Clares-Gavilán, J. (2016). Data management in audiovisual business: Netflix as a case study. Profesional de la Información, 25(4), 568-576. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2016.jul.06
Ferrés, J. & Piscitelli, A. (2012). Media Competence. Articulated Proposal of Dimensions and Indicators. Comunicar, 19(38), 75-82. https://doi.org/10.3916/C38-2012-02-08
Flayelle, M., Maurage, P., Di Lorenzo, K. R., Vögele, C., Gainsbury, S. M. & Billieux, J. (2020). Binge-watching: What do we know so far? A first systematic review of the evidence. Current Addiction Reports, 7(1), 44-60. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40429-020-00299-8
Flayelle, M., Maurage, P. & Billieux, J. (2017). Toward a qualitative understanding of binge-watching behaviors: A focus group approach. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 6(4), 457-471. https://doi.org/10.1556/2006.6.2017.060
Forni, P. & De Grande, P. (2020). Triangulación y métodos mixtos en las ciencias sociales contemporáneas. Revista Mexicana de Sociología, 82(1), 159-189. http://dx.doi.org/10.22201/iis.01882503p.2020.1.58064
Galán, E. (2006). Personajes, estereotipos y representaciones sociales. Una propuesta de estudio y análisis de la ficción televisiva. ECO-PÓS, 9(1), 58-81. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2S6cWXp
Glebatis, L. (2014). Media Marathoning: Immersions in Morality. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington.
Grimshaw, S., Blades, N. & Berrett, C. (2020). Going Viral, Binge-Watching, and Attention Cannibalism. The American Statistician, 74(4), 380-391. https://doi.org/10.1080/00031305.2020.1774415
Gutiérrez, A. & Tyner, K. (2012). Media Education, Media Literacy and Digital Competence. Comunicar, 19(38), 31-39. https://doi.org/10.3916/C38-2012-02-03
Hernández, J.F. & Martínez, M.A. (2016). Nuevos modelos de consumo audiovisual: los efectos del binge-watching sobre los jóvenes universitarios. AdComunica, 13, 201-221. doi: 10.6035/2174-0992.2017.13.11
Ibáñez, J. (1979). Más allá de la Sociología. El grupo de discusión: técnica y crítica. Madrid: Siglo XXI.
Izquierdo-Castillo, J. (2015). El nuevo negocio mediático liderado por Netflix: estudio del modelo y proyección en el mercado español. Profesional de la Información, 24(6), 819-826. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2015.nov.14
Jenner, M. (2017). Binge-watching: Video-on-demand, quality TV and mainstreaming fandom. International Journal of Cultural Studies, 20(3), 304-320. https://doi.org/10.1177/1367877915606485
Jenner, M. (2018). Netflix and the Re-invention of Television. Londres: Palgrave Macmillan.
Kabusheva, S., Tyll, L. & Machek, O. (2016). Millennials and Over-the-Top-Services in the Context of Transformation of Telecommunication Business: Evidence from the Czech Republic. Ekonomika a Managament, 4, 1-21. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3bJyiBM
Longwell, T. (2014). Americans addicted to binge viewing, willing to pay extra for it. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2ZmFlgh
Lotz, A. D. (2014). The television will be revolutionized. New York: NYU Press.
Matrix, S. (2014). The Netflix Effect: Teens, Binge Watching, and On-Demand Digital Media Trends. Jeunesse: Young People, Texts, Cultures, 6(1), 119-138. https://doi.org/10.1353/jeu.2014.0002
Martín-Quevedo, J., Fernández-Gómez, E. & Segado-Boj, F. (2021). La estrategia promocional de Netflix y HBO en Instagram en un escenario de competencia. Análisis de sus perfiles en España y en EE. UU. Obra digital, 20. https://doi.org/10.25029/od.2021.290.20
Martín-Quevedo, J., Fernández-Gómez, E. & Segado-Boj, F. (2019). How to engage with younger users on Instagram: A comparative analysis of HBO and Netflix in the Spanish and US markets. International journal on media management, 21(2), 67-87. https://doi.org/10.1080/14241277.2019.1585355
Merikivi, J., Bragge, J., Scornavacca, E. & Verhagen, T. (2019). Binge-watching Serialized Video Content: A Transdisciplinary Review. Television & New Media, 21(7), 697-711. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527476419848578
Mikos, L. (2016). Digital Media Platforms and the uses of TV content: Binge Watching and Video-on-Demand in Germany. Media and communication, 4(3), 154-161. https://doi.org/10.17645/mac.v4i3.542
Neira, E. (2021). ¿Pasas más tiempo decidiendo qué ver que viendo contenido? Netflix tiene un gran problema: se llama fatiga de decisión. Retrieved from
Neira, E., Clares-Gavilán, J. & Sánchez-Navarro, J. (2021). New audience dimensions in streaming platforms: the second life of Money heist on Netflix as a case study”. Profesional de la Información, 30(1), e300113. https://doi.org/10.3145/epi.2021.ene.13
Neira, E. (2015). La otra pantalla: redes sociales, móviles y la nueva televisión. Barcelona: Editorial UOC.
Netflix (2017). Ready, set, binge. More than 8 million viewers ‘binge race’ their favorite series. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3vSrjPI
Panda, S. & Pandey, S. C. (2017). Binge watching and college students: motivations and outcomes. Young Consumers, 18(4), 425-438. https://doi.org/10.1108/YC-07-2017-00707
Pérez-Alaejos, M., Marcos-Ramos, M., Cerezo Prieto, M. & Hernández-Prieto, M. (2020). Diagnóstico del uso de plataformas de distribución de contenidos audiovisuales en niños y adolescentes españoles. Una aproximación a los cambios en los modelos de recepción y hábitos de las audiencias en el entorno digital. En Comunicación y diversidad. Selección de comunicaciones del VII Congreso Internacional de la Asociación Española de Investigación de la Comunicación (AE-IC). Valencia, España, 28-30 de octubre, pp. 379-390.
Petersen, T. G. (2016). To binge or not to binge: A qualitative analysis of college students’ binge watching habits. Florida Communication Journal, 4(1), 77-88.
Pittman, M. & Sheehan, K. (2015). Sprinting a media marathon: Uses and gratifications of binge-watching television through Netflix. First Monday, 20(10). https://doi.org/10.5210/fm.v20i10.6138
Prinsen, M. (2017). Binge-watching. The association of compensatory health beliefs with binge-watching, physical activity and body mass index in young adults (Bachelor Thesis). University of Twente. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2vLTTcg
Rodríguez, Ó. (2005). La triangulación como estrategia de investigación en Ciencias Sociales. Revista de Investigación en Gestión de la Innovación y Tecnología, 31. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2SbKceE
Rubenking, B. & Campanella, Ch. (2018). Binge-Watching: A Suspenseful, Emotional, Habit. Communication Research Reports, 35(5), 381-391. https://doi.org/10.1080/08824096.2018.1525346
Rubenking, B., Bracken, C. C., Sandoval, J. & Rister, A. (2018). Defining new viewing behaviours: What makes and motivates TV binge-watching? International Journal of Digital Television, 9(1), 69-85. https://doi.org/10.1386/jdtv.9.1.69_1
Sartori, G. (1998). Homo videns. La Sociedad teledirigida. Mexico: Taurus.
Schouw, L. (2018). To binge or not to binge: The online Viewing Habits of Dutch millennials (Master Thesis). Erasmus University. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3w0bvdM
Schweidel, D. A & Moe, W. W. (2016). Binge Watching and Advertising. Journal of marketing, 80(5), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.15.0258
Shim, H. & Kim, K. J. (2018). An exploration of the motivations for binge-watching and the role of individual differences. Computers in Human Behavior, 82, 94-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.12.032
Spilker, H. S. & Colbjørnsen, T. (2020). The dimensions of streaming: toward a typology of an evolving concept. Media, Culture & Society, 42(7-8), 1210-1225. https://doi.org/10.1177/0163443720904587
Starosta, J. A. & Izydorczyk, B. (2020). Understanding the phenomenon of binge-watching—A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(12), 4469. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17124469
Steiner, E. & Xu, K. (2018). Binge-watching motivates change: Uses and gratifications of streaming video viewers challenge traditional TV research. Convergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies, 26(1), 82-101. https://doi.org/10.1177/1354856517750365
Stoldt, R. G. (2013). The behavioral effects of the binge-watching mediamorphosis (Bachelor Thesis). Wichita State University. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/2Sgw8jX
Sun, Y. H., Kang, E. Y. & Lee, W. (2018). Why Do We Indulge? Exploring Motivations for Binge Watching. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 62(3), 408-426. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2018.1451851
Tefertiller, A. & Sheehan, K. (2019). TV in the Streaming Age: Motivations, Behaviors, and Satisfaction of Post-Network. Television, Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 63(4), 595-616. https://doi.org/10.1080/08838151.2019.1698233
Urbano, C. (2010). Algunas reflexiones a propósito de la "infoxicación". Anuario ThinkEPI, 4(1), 304-308. Retrieved from https://bit.ly/3dblbLU
Vaterlaus, J. M., Spruance, L. A., Frantz, K. & Kruger, J. S. (2019). College student television binge watching: Conceptualization, gratifications, and perceived consequences. The Social Science Journal, 56(4), 470-479. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soscij.2018.10.004
Walton-Pattison, E., Dombrowski, S. U. & Presseau, J. (2018). Just one more episode: Frequency and theoretical correlates of television binge watching. Journal of Health Psychology, 23(1), 17-24. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105316643379
