By Evan See
When the name of your brand has become a part of everyday lexicon à la Google or WhatsApp, you know you’ve made it. We’re now living in the Netflix era. From its humble beginnings as a video rental service almost twenty years ago, Netflix has now revolutionised the film and television industry as we know it. Not only that, it has revolutionised our lives.
Dancing with the Stars
2011 was a landmark year in television, when Netflix launched its first foray into original content, which at the time was described as “the biggest gamble in its 14-year history”. Netflix had just outbid television heavyweights HBO and AMC in acquiring the political drama “House of Cards”. Eight years and almost 700 original movies and shows later, Netflix has become one of the largest players in film and television production, with popular and award-winning productions including “Orange is the New Black”, “Stranger Things”, “Okja” and this year’s Oscar frontrunner, “Roma”.
Film and television viewing was dramatically upended once Netflix began to break into the streaming market in the early 2010s. With a current subscriber count of 148 million, with more than 200,000 in Singapore alone, Netflix has bankrupted Blockbuster Video, forced Amazon and HBO to keep up by launching their own video streaming services, and challenged traditional production companies with its in-house production company, Netflix Studios.
More and more big industry names are partnering with Netflix as it sweeps across the reach held by traditional cable networks. Shonda Rhimes, creator of hit shows “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal”, signed a deal with Netflix in 2017 after more than 15 years at ABC, while the popular anthology series “Black Mirror” was enticed from the British free-to-air Channel 4 to Netflix in 2015.
Once a platform overlooked for its poor-quality originals like “Marco Polo” and “Hemlock Grove”, Netflix is becoming a force to be reckoned with for its original content, even attracting cinematic legends like Martin Scorsese with his upcoming “The Irishman” and the Coen Brothers with “The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”.
Netflix and the City
Not only has Netflix revolutionised film and television, it’s become a part of modern society and internet culture. With subscribers in over 190 countries and more than 1,500 shows, Netflix is a common pastime for millions of people around the world. How often have you heard someone talk about how they’d spent the previous night watching hours of Netflix, or ask if you’ve seen the latest big show on Netflix?
It’s become so ubiquitous in modern culture that the term “Netflix and chill” has entered cultural lexicon as a euphemism for other unrelated romantic endeavours. “Binge-watch” was declared word of the year by Collins Dictionary in 2015.
The influence of Netflix has only been amplified by an era of social media. Just recently, the 2018 film Bird Box was release on Netflix, giving rise to the “Bird Box challenge” on social media where people were challenged to blindfold themselves and do everyday tasks, from putting on makeup to crossing a road. Its sudden and widespread prominence on social media only goes to show how universal the influence of the streaming site is in modern society, prompting Netflix to issue a tweet imploring people not to put themselves in danger with the challenge.
The Late Late Shows
While the term “couch potato”, which conjures up the image of an overweight middle-aged person who exercises little and watches lots of television, has fallen out of usage in recent years, it seems to have found its successor in the term “binge-watching”. Some experts have expressed concern over the widespread practice of binge-watching over its possible unhealthy effects.
While it may seem like a harmless hobby, sleep experts have theorised that looking at bright screens late at night could disrupt the body’s circadian rhythm, or body clock, confusing it into thinking it is still daytime. In the long term, such disrupted sleep patterns could result in decreased alertness and a weakened immune system.
A study conducted by the American Public Health Association also reported higher stress, anxiety and depression levels amongst habitual binge-watchers. While this is not necessarily a causal relationship, other experts have described binge-watching as addictive behaviour, with withdrawal symptoms including depression, loneliness, and a sense of distress. Like any other addiction, binge-watching could cause people to “neglect their work and their relationship with others”, as researchers from the University of Texas at Austin suggest.
But what differentiates binge-watching from regular addictive behaviours is the way it is seemingly encouraged and normalised. Numerous pop culture sites frequently publish lists titled along the lines of “Top Netflix Shows to Binge Watch”, while Netflix’s habit of releasing whole seasons at once and its “autoplay” function make it enticingly easy to fall into its rabbit hole. Its word of the year status isn’t unwarranted – a survey by Netflix revealed that 61% of respondents binge-watched regularly, with Netflix even declaring it the “new normal”. What’s more, Netflix’s availability on laptops, gaming consoles and smartphones instead of just television sets makes it even more a part of our lives.
For better or worse, the unprecedented rise of Netflix has changed television viewing for good. As we usher in a new era of streaming and video-on-demand, both its convenience and hazards should be considered. If you find yourself hopelessly addicted to bingeing, perhaps consider turning off autoplay, or stopping before you hit that suspenseful cliffhanger at the end of each episode. Otherwise, sit back and enjoy the quality television Netflix brings!
