Tag Archives: streaming

My Own Viewing and Streaming Habits

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In a typical week, most of my media gets consumed through the platform YouTube. This being said, roughly 15 to 20 percent of media I consume is also from Netflix. My usage of these two platforms will be carefully dissected and compared with one another, also reflecting its change in use since the COVID-19 outbreak creating a dramatic disruption in lifestyle.

First, YouTube is an appealing platform to be because of its user-generated content and the ability to access what is one of the largest varieties of subject material online. My watch history greatly reflects this accessibility, as I consume content spanning various topics. These include, but are not limited to: history, geography, linguistics, science, literature, philosophy, and a small amount of gaming as well. Most videos watched by me are educational, as I find it very interesting to learn a large variety of material, as well as watch it be debated, criticized, or thoroughly examined. Most all of this material is consumed in the late hours of the night, and I frequently notice myself watching or simply listening to a video essay until I fall asleep.

With Netflix, the type of content I consume varies greatly from what I watch on YouTube. Primarily I watch TV series on Netflix which deal in suspense, mystery, crime, or the science-fiction/fantasy genre. With this streaming service, shows as old as The Twilight Zone and as new as Mindhunter are on my list of things to watch together. I also have a habit of watching shows and film which are international in content, particularly in the German language. Both Babylon Berlin and Dark are favorites of mine, for example. I watch Netflix far less often than I do YouTube, using it only once or twice a week and only an episode or two at a time. I rarely, if at all, binge-watch content here. Usually it takes place in the late afternoon, around dinner or closer to sunset. I find that I have to be in a particular mood to watch an actual movie or TV series.

Taking both of these platforms back together, whatever platform I am viewing must indicate my purpose, or reflect what I want to get out of the viewing experience. On YouTube, I expect to learn and entertain myself simultaneously, exploring small niches or logically breaking something down. On Netflix however, all I seek is a story that will thrill me and allow my mind to work in a more problem-solving direction. Since the closure of non-essential businesses in Charleston, I have much more free time on my hands. I am not entirely sure why, but I have noticed a sharp increase in my watch time for YouTube while my Netflix viewing has remained unchanged.

My Streaming Habits

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Before COVID-19 I consumed around an average of 4 hours of media daily. I normally watch a specific show on Netflix or Hulu or I watch Youtube videos from the Youtubers that I am subscribed to. If I don’t have a lot of time to watch like when I go home in between classes for lunch then I will watch Youtube because I can watch more than just one video. Then I watch Hulu or Netflix whenever I am done with homework, home from work, and need to relax. Whatever I watch is for the purpose of entertainment and to just relax while I watch it. Since COVID-19 hit my streaming time has increased tremendously, I still watch Youtube, Netflix, and Hulu, but now I watch shows or videos as I am doing my school work which can at times be distracting. I also have more free time to watch shows because I work for the College of Charleston as a peer tutor and as part of the front desk staff at the Center for Student learning, where I normally sit and wait for students who need help but I am not allowed to watch things, but now I still work but I work online so I can watch shows while I work.

The internet is an amazing thing during this time because even though we are not allowed to physically be together, we can still be together. During this time of quarantining my best friend and I watched one of the newest Netflix originals that everyone was raving about “Love is Blind,” we were able to watch it together through a browser extension called Netflix Party. Netflix Party allows the people that are watching it to watch it at the same exact time and there is a chat feature. I have also used Zoom to talk to my classes and my friends so that we can feel like we are together even when we are not.

The Impact of Entertainment

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While I did watch a lot of movies and TV shows before COVID-19 hit, my habits have definitely changed these past few weeks. When I was still at school, I would sometimes watch a film or an episode of a show before bed on a school night and always watch something on the weekends. Now at home, I do try to do as much school work as I was doing when actually at school, but my screen time has unsurprisingly increased. I have not been watching many TV shows – I watched Tiger King with my family and just started Euphoria – but I have been watching a lot of movies. I made a watchlist full of movies that I have been meaning to watch for a long time that I have slowly been working my way through. Some movies I have watched from it are Come and See, Memories of Murder, and The Passion of Joan of Arc. For me, having a watchlist gives me something to do, as well as creating a goal for myself to watch all these movies. It makes me feel as if I’m accomplishing something while I’m basically stuck in my home. I have also been rewatching some of my favorite movies, like Little Miss Sunshine, It, Napoleon Dynamite, and The Great Dictator. I believe that rewatching these films that mean a lot to me gives a form of comfort and stability in a time where everything seems off balance. 

I still watch most of these before bed, but much more frequently than I was at school. Sometimes I’ll watch three movies in one day just because I have the time to. I do try to keep a somewhat normal schedule (like doing my schoolwork at the times I would normally be doing them), so that is why most of the films I watch are at night. However, once classes end I know that my schedule will basically fall apart. I watch these across many platforms: Netflix, Hulu, Kanopy, my own copies of the films, and more. As of right now I believe that film, and all forms of entertainment, are keeping people sane as they are quarantined and that many people are starting to understand just how much film and TV can impact their lives. Personally, I have enjoyed exposing myself to new films, but I also love being able to find comfort in my old favorites.