Zoom, Skype, YouTube, and Netflix: Websites that have upheld the morale of many people throughout the truly hectic year of 2020.
Spring Hill students have relied on these platforms to fill the social void brought about by isolationism. They have had to adapt to a heavily regulated, post-pandemic world. Badgers find social solace by binge-watching their favorite shows and films on various streaming platforms, but with these platforms come a plethora of binge-worthy choices. How do Badgers choose what to binge? What do they look for in a series? Are there certain platforms that they prefer over others? Each of these questions can be condensed into a single overarching inquiry: What does the typical binge session look like for an SHC Badger?
According to a personally cultivated survey that had been issued to 26 students from all over Spring Hill College, it was discovered that Netflix is heavily favored. 79.6% of respondents stated that they preferred this service over all others, and 88.5% of students decided to binge TV shows instead of films. When confronted with the question about whether or not they liked to binge alone or with others, results showed that they were quite divided. Half of the respondents wanted to binge alone while the remaining respondents favored binge sessions with others. The same results were found regarding whether or not students took breaks in between episodes. Half of them liked watching their series with no interruptions whereas the remaining half preferred to take breaks in between episodes.
Three of the students who took part in the study were sophomore students Lorna Salbador, Michael Woolverton, and Adelisca LeBlanc. Woolverton and Salbador were quite relaxed in speaking about their bingeing preferences. Woolverton lounged on the couch while Salbador laid back in her leather recliner. LeBlanc, on the other hand, sat up straight with a reserved, but respectful poise.Her hands were folded in her lap for most of the interview, but when she spoke about her preferred shows, she motioned eagerly. “Generally, as long as it has a good plot, I don’t mind watching anything.” She smiled to herself, “As long as it has a good plot and a good foundation, I’ll watch it. Recently I’ve been watching Avatar the Last Airbender on Netflix. Before that, I was binge-watching Horrible Histories on Hulu.”
Woolverton and LeBlanc agreed that Netflix was the prime streaming platform for all college students. The eager Salbador agreed, but she also mentioned that Hulu was one of her favorite streaming services as well. “I usually prefer to watch Netflix and Hulu,” Lorna’s bright eyes squinted, deep in thought, “Most of what I watch is on Netflix and Hulu. Pretty much all of it is. I can’t say which I watch more of, but Netflix and Hulu make up most everything I watch.”
According to Michael Woolverton, the best way to binge a film series is with another person. This was always his preferred method of content indulgence, but even he acknowledged that this typically came with its hindrances. “Binge-watching with somebody is enjoyable, and I enjoy doing it sometimes,” he admitted as his foot began to tap the floor under him, “but it is also very difficult because you can’t always watch it at the same time.”
To this, Salbador locked eyes with him and nodded. She admitted that many of her preferred shows were ones she watched alone specifically because it was difficult to watch alongside others. “There are some shows that I’ll watch with my sister or my mom or both.” She pointed to herself and motioned as though someone was seated beside her, “Mostly it’s just with whoever finds it interesting. If I’m the only one who finds a show interesting, I’ll just watch it on
my own. If all of us find it interesting, we’ll watch it together.” Woolverton grinned and nodded. He agreed.
Whether one would rather watch the nostalgic classics of Disney+ or the quirky original content of Netflix, a Badger’s binge experience ought to be shared – from one badger to the next.
