It seems like every time I scroll through my streaming services, the majority of the content being recommended to me are series: TV shows with multiple episodes that can span over several seasons. Remember the days where we could sit down and enjoy a complete narrative within a two-hour movie? Now, it’s all about investing hours upon hours into one story, only for it to end on a cliffhanger and leave us waiting for the next season.
Don’t get me wrong, I love a good TV series just as much as the next person. But lately, I’ve been wondering why we have become so obsessed with (or conditioned to) this type of extracted storytelling.
Why do we allow ourselves to be pacified by these stretched-out stories? Is it because we have become conditioned by society’s need for instant gratification and constant stimulation? Are we too neurologically disappointed if an entire story arc unfolds in one sitting?
One theory could perhaps be that our brains (or at least our perceptions) have evolved along with technology and social media, making us more accustomed to shorter forms of communication such as tweets and posts. Our attention spans have shortened significantly, and mostly for the worse. Maybe the extremely long fictional narrative arcs are needed as a counter-balance, strictly neurologically? Consider the difference between a tweet, text message, or post, and a good hearty face-to-face, substantial conversation with a friend. In a world like ours, can we live without the latter?
Perhaps there is another reason behind our fascination with the endless series: money. In today’s media world, where everything is fueled by raw media greed capitalism, even the art of story-telling has succumbed to the pressure of needing high profit margins. The film industry has realized that producing multiple seasons of a popular series generates more revenue than creating stand-alone movies. And if they can’t come up with any new and unique ideas… Hey, why not just milk a super hero franchise for ever and ever?
This trend has also translated into mainstream cinema where movies are becoming longer and longer – sometimes reaching three hours or more in length. How come David Lynch could turn ”Dune” into a great action-packed movie, while Villeneuve’s sleepy version feels like a perfume commercial on opiates? Is this purely a marketing strategy to entice audiences to spend more money on ticket prices and concessions? Or is it an effort to justify the high production/marketing costs by providing viewers with ”more” content? Quantity as quality? Or just a clever way to pacify people even more?
What effect does all of this extended viewing have on our perception of time? It’s no secret that binge-watching has become a common practice, where people can easily watch multiple episodes in one long sitting. ”Binging” has become a way of life – perhaps most attractive to those who are not already addicted to ”gaming.” With the swift rise of competing streaming services, we now have access to huge amounts of entire series at once rather than waiting week after week for new episodes. The few services that do initially serve only one episode a week of a new and attractive show will be guaranteed to accumulate bad-will (I can even see that phenomenon disappearing soon). People want their fix right away, and do not mind over-dosing at all. On the contrary, that is part of the lifestyle and social discourse already. ”I just couldn’t stop…”
When we binge-watch, we tend to lose track of time as each episode seamlessly merges into the next. Hours fly by without us even realizing it. Repeated exposure to these elongated stories seems to slow down our perception of time even further. The anticipation built up throughout an entire season makes it seem like an eternity until the next one comes out. (To not sound aloof and cynical here, I’m definitely speaking from my own experience of elongated torture in waiting for the next season of a favorite show…)
There is something to be said about the power of a well-told story in its original format – a novel or one single film. Focused attention and the suspension of disbelief! These mediums have withstood the test of time and continue to capture audiences’ attention without losing their impact. But let’s see if that conservative fantasy holds up – people no longer read books to the same extent: they listen to them. Or watch the movie adaptation. Or TV series adaptation.
In a novel, we are forced to use our imagination and fill in the blanks between words, creating our own unique interpretation of the story. Similarly, in a ”normal” movie, every scene and line of dialogue has significance as there is but a limited time for exposition. This not only keeps us engaged but also allows for a more concise and impactful storytelling experience. I would argue that this creates a deeper connection with the material rather than just passively taking it in.
So why do we continue to choose series over standalone works? Is it because they provide easy entertainment without requiring much effort from us? Or are we nowadays truly slower in our understanding of narrative sequences?
I can see a future when we are locked to the device in question, and have no say in the matter as to what’s being projected straight into our brains and minds. The transmissions will not be intelligent and concise; they will be even duller and even more drawn out, slowing down not only our perception of time but also our actual capacities for comprehension and critical thinking.
Maybe next time you find yourself scrolling through streaming services looking for something new to watch, consider opting for a movie instead of diving into yet another ten-hour commitment. Time is the most precious commodity of individual life, and it’s up to us to choose how we use it in the most intelligent way.
P.S. I don’t like to endorse too much, but would like to recommend MUBI, Cultpix, and Criterion (if you’re in the US). Choose your battles – and movie input – wisely!
