Table of contentsIntroductionDefinition of binge-watchingFactors influencing binge-watching behaviorImplications of binge-watchingImpact of binge-watching on content creationInfluence of binge-watching on many industriesConclusionWorks CitedIntroductionTelevision is one of the major communications technologies and a crucial part of the mass culture industry because it holds the power to change the world and culture around us. It is therefore important to notice how it has evolved over time due to eclectic factors responsible for its current state. Likewise, it is also worth looking at its impact on various aspects of our lives. The current state of television, multiplatform and without geographical limits, is characterized by a phenomenon called “Binge Watching”. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Definition of Binge-Watching Binge-watching is defined as “long periods of concentrated, deliberate viewing of sequential television content that is typically narrative, suspenseful, and dramatic in nature” (Rubenking, Campanella, 2018 , p.382). Although the word "binge" is associated with negative habits or addiction, an alternative representation of the term "binge-watching" is also referred to as a way of watching in which the viewer is fully engaged in the content and has an experience. immersive (Rubenking, et.al). , 2018). Therefore, to avoid its negative connotations, this viewing behavior is sometimes also called “marathon viewing” (Tukachinsky, Eyal, 2018). The origin of binge watching is the combination of a combination of psychological and physical factors related to viewers, a technological evolution favoring non-traditional ways of interacting with television, and a significant change in content creation. This article will explore how these elements, through their interdependence, give rise to this new viewing behavior that is binge-watching. I will also consider the implications this has for the traditional form of the television industry, for viewers and for the way media content is constructed. I will study only those technological changes in the television industry that are affected by and responsible for binge-watching, eliminating all other transitions that have shaped television as it is today. For starters, the availability of a television structure that allows complete autonomy over how we watch. content and when we watch it, it makes the phenomenon of binge-watching possible itself (Mareike, 2016). Today's viewers are no longer constrained by fixed schedules imposed by broadcasting companies that restrict their freedom to exercise control over television programming. This change in the structure of television itself allows viewers to watch as much as they want without any hindrance to the flow of content. The freedom of technological control over content programming is further enhanced by the evolution of traditional television towards a multiplatform that allows viewers to watch content without any physical and geographical barriers (Steiner, Emil, Xu, Kun, 2018). some built-in features that entice viewers to binge watch. This can be illustrated by some tools that Netflix, one of the biggest examples of television going multiplatform, offers its viewers, such as the post-play button and streaming full seasons rather thanof single episodes (Steiner, et.al, 2018). This technological convergence performs functions that develop an impulsive response in the viewer and persuade them to watch without stopping (Tukachinsky, et.al, 2018). Similarly, Netflix also achieves this through its various marketing strategies which, in turn, attract viewers for continued viewing. In a recent campaign called “My First Binge,” Netflix asked its subscribers to remember the first time they binge-watched a certain Netflix series (Prastien, 2019). As a result, the binge-watching phenomenon bombed, revealing massive figures on the amount of binge-watching by viewers simply because the platform allowed them to due to its structure and technological advancements over the traditional form. television (Prastien, 2019). Factors Influencing Binge Viewing Behavior Apart from this, several psychological factors come into play and convince the viewers. to look at in one go. Being part of culture and cultural conversations is one of the main reasons viewers binge watch. This is explained through the concept of FoMo (fear of missing out) which simply means being connected to what others are doing (Auverset, Billings, Conlin, 2016). The fear of missing out persuades people to be aware of and engage with pop cultural conversations. Watching entire series in advance allows them to exert control over these conversations. Steiner et al. (2018) argue that the main motivation behind binge-watching is the viewer's desire to become part of a particular show's online cultural community so that they can offer their own opinions on the show. Likewise, they consider these discussions to be culturally relevant to the extent that a large part of the public participates in them, which lends legitimacy to binge-viewing and participation in these online discourses (Steiner, et.al, 2018). These cultural communities around a particular show allow viewers to create a collective sense and provide them with different perspectives on certain shows, leading them to watch more and more episodes of that show. Matrix (2014) found that viewers binge watch not only to be part of cultural discourses, but also to make sense of the show through crowdsourcing, which is the product of participating in these discourses. The recent transformation in content creation and the emergence of compelling narratives is changing the way viewers respond to stories and the characters within them. Tukachinsky et al. (2018) suggested that binge-watching is strongly linked to an immersive experience with narration that detaches the viewer from reality and entices them to stay in the artificial reality by watching episodes in rapid succession. Through this immersion, they tend to form parasocial relationships with the characters and their desire to stay in these temporary relationships is further responsible for continued surveillance (Tukachinsky, et al., 2018). Interestingly, content structure is so closely linked to binge watching that even tiny changes in this structure can have a huge impact on how people binge watch. These changes in the structure of stories result in two forms of binge-watching (Steiner, et.al, 2018). If the content is full of cliffhangers and requires more active engagement in the narrative, this results in high attention binging, while low attention bingingLow attention concerns less serialized and simple stories (Steiner, et.al, 2018). Additionally, fear of being exposed to spoilers is another motive behind binge-watching. To overcome this fear, Auverset et al. (2016) note that people "binge-watch programs to get caught up in the narrative and ensure that no one diminishes the potential enjoyment of a program" (p. 161).Implications of binge-watchingCertainly, Bingewatching is born out of a plethora of reasons and each of them contributes to its existence both individually and in association with other factors. However, these factors undergo constant change and reorganization in response to the evolving binge-watching phenomenon. Therefore, in order to analyze its current state, it is crucial to establish all of the impacts it has on each of them. Binge-watching is considered responsible for the formation of addiction to the platform and the development of impulsive disorders among viewers. This changes the viewer's conscious behavior while watching a show towards impulsive and addiction-based behavior, which in turn results in the formation of a habit of binge-watching and staying on the video platform ( Pattison, Dombrowski, Presseau, 2018). Trevis (2018) found that this impulsivity in viewers persuades them to engage in activities without worrying about the consequences. This can have serious consequences on other important spheres of life and lead to a feeling of regret due to a conflict of goals formed by excessive monitoring (Pattison, et.al, 2018). On the other hand, the way viewers are cognitively engaged in both advertisements and the narrative itself has changed dramatically since the advent of binge-watching. Research by Schweidel & Moe (2016) suggests that viewers are increasingly less responsive to advertisements because they see them as an external reality, which acts as a barrier to the artificial reality they are immersed in due to excessive viewing. However, this complex cognitive involvement in narratives not only changes the way advertisements are viewed, but is also responsible for a sense of loss and sadness when such immersive and sophisticated narratives end, exposing viewers to reality. As Smith (2014) rightly points out, binge-viewing addiction can lead to feelings of disappointment and physical sadness when content is no longer accessible or available for excessive consumption. Tukachinsky et al (2018) also found that hedonic pleasure at the start of a binge-viewing session is much greater than at the end of the session. Impact of Binge Viewing on Content Creation As the practice of binge watching increases, content creators are becoming more cautious. on the coordination of story structure with patterns of viewing behavior. As can be observed, the timing of cliffhangers, reversals and conflicts in contemporary narratives is very much in line with viewers' binge-watching habits, placed at the end of the story rather than sequentially (Bernardin, 2018). This in turn gives content writers more time and freedom to develop their characters in the story and integrate various character developments into the narrative itself. Instead, binge watching is so dominant in the current form of television that it requires content to be written exclusively for it. Placido (2017) notes how the character develops in a completely different way in content written for viewersexcessive and cinema spectators. When viewed continuously, character development is extremely slow, assuming that the viewer will watch each episode to reveal more and more traits of their characters and remain immersed in the narrative (Placido, 2017). Whereas cinematic content develops characters much more quickly and does not change characterizations significantly over the course of the story (Placido, 2017). Additionally, binge-watching forces writers and content creators to write with a single, expansive story arc rather than individual story arcs for each film. each episode, which was a common practice in the traditional form of television (Steiner, et.al, 2018). This is also in line with the uninterrupted flow of content afforded by the lack of TV commercials, whereby the writers are aware that they can stretch the story arc as long as the viewer is willing to watch the show in a continuous stream. With such rapid content consumption due to continuous episode viewing, producers face continued pressure to increase both the quality and quantity of content with enriching and diverse narratives (Steiner, et.al, 2018). Steiner et al. (2018) found that producers are keenly aware of which shows viewers binge watch and which they do not, and such analysis helps them make decisions about what type of content to produce and when to broadcast this content. The influence of binge-watching on many industriesFinally, binge-watching also brings about changes at the institutional level and restructures the organization and elements of various industries. Specifically, it had a massive impact on the advertising industry and forced it to find new ways to advertise without interrupting the narrative flow fostered by binge-viewing. To demonstrate this, contemporary advertisements are not individual elements presented separately during the broadcast of the show but are incorporated into the content itself through various means such as the narrative frame or the brand of the actor's costume ( Matrix, 2014). The goal of this form of advertising is to make it “difficult, if not impossible, for audiences to distinguish television content from marketing” (Matrix, 2014, p. 132). This form of advertising becomes so effective in resolving the conflict between the coexistence of advertising and excessive viewing that even the traditional form of television incorporates this model to regain its hegemony. In particular, online TV boxes are the result of the phenomenon of binge watching and the desire of viewers to maintain autonomy over their television schedules, allowing them to watch content without any restrictions (Barrie, 2017). Another area that has been affected by marathon viewing is public broadcasting. companies and chains run by governments with nationalist and propagandistic motivations in mind. This can be best illustrated by what happened in Singapore after the emergence of Netflix and other online video platforms, which brought with it the practice of binge-watching (Tania, Azad, Marcus, 2019). The competition from these platforms was so fierce that it forced the government to introduce some policy changes and move towards a commercial version of television with the launch of an online application (Tania, et.al, 2019 ). However, the content of this new platform proposed by the government was limited to what was offered via cable television, mainly oriented towards the promotion of national cultures (Tania, et.al, 2019). Since citizens demanded,, 62(1), 1-20.