Rabbit Holes, Part 3: Netflix, et al

Talk about losing hours endlessly scrolling through social media?  That’s got nothing on losing hours endlessly watching on demand streaming tv. 

How did we ever watch a weekly tv series in the past? That seems so antiquated now.  Kids today have no concept of what it was like to wait a week to get the next episode of whatever show they were watching.  All the time. Every show. Unlike today where that is the exception not the norm.

Now when you watch a series on Netflix, or any other streaming platform, you build your cocoon—blanket, drink, snacks and you don’t leave for HOURS, possibly even days.  Just. One. More. Episode. 

You don’t even have to do anything to get the next episode—it just comes up on its own in seconds. 

And just like that, 10 hours have gone by. 

Your cat is meowing and scratching at the door because you forgot to feed him. If you have kids, they are crying and scratching at the door because you forgot to feed them.  Your dogs are good because they are curled up next to you on the couch. 

You wake up for work the next day and you are exhausted because you only got 3 hours of sleep.  But you are ready to discuss Season 1 of The Umbrella Academy with any of your coworkers who also stayed up late to watch all 10 episodes, which is way more fun than working anyway. 

The con to all of this however is that you have to wait forever for the next season of your favorite series to come out.  The old cadence of network tv series, which was fall premiers, holiday break, picks back up and runs through end of spring and then picks back up in fall, is gone. 

Now you have to wait as long as a year or more until the next season is ready.  But boy, when it is?  Batten down the hatches, hope your kids will know how to fend for themselves, and say goodbye to 10 hours of your life.