Netflix and Boredom

Logo of Netflix Company

If I was forced to name my biggest vice, I wouldn't even have to think twice (gotta love a little rhyme to open up a post).  My addiction to Netflix is a bit of an issue.  I'm watching Netflix while I'm getting ready every morning.  I'm watching Netflix as I'm eating lunch. I'm watching Netflix right now. Streaming services like Netflix make it easy to have entertainment at your fingertips. But it comes at a price.  My patience has suffered since I joined the millions of other customers who are constantly watching their favorite sitcom. Instead of waiting a week for the next episode of Scandal, with a simple click I can go through three seasons in one long, extended sitting. 

Is America's obsession with Netflix a representation of our obsession with technology and the constant need to get whatever we want, when we want? Our culture has lost its ability to wait. In grocery store lines, people tap their feet and let out loud sighs. In heavy city traffic, the car drivers rub their faces in frustration and flip through the dial in hopes of finding anything to cure their boredom.  

Boredom. 

Why do we hate it so much? Is it because our lives are really so busy that we cannot spare even a moment? Being bored means that you are alive.  You have the luxury of possessing a single moment to yourself; a moment when you don't need to be preoccupied. Consider yourself lucky!

Maybe we should all take our eyes off our smartphones for just one second.  We can embrace "boredom" and be pleasantly surprised by what can come from it. My English class watched an amazing Youtube video, linked below that touches upon the reality of our reality.

Will I stop binge watching Netflix anytime soon? Probably not. But when I click to the next episode I will be aware of what I'm doing. Don't let yourself become dependent on technology to save you from boredom.  Boredom isn't that bad. Not one bit. 

xoxo,

Royse.